No Girls Allowed
by Schnickledooger
Summary: Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression. Agumon's obsession with Plato and BlackWarGreymon isn't helping things. The media keeps misrepresenting Digimon as an alien invasion. His Lit teacher likes to steal his haikus. Yeah, Tai's first year of high school sucks. AU. S2 time-line and events.
1. Revenge

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch.1 Revenge  
**

In the matter of most things, Jun Motomiya should not have been on Tai's List of People To Worry About. For one, he was her little brother's idol whom he hero-worshiped so he should already be labeled as "uninteresting goggles-obsessed freak" material. Two, she had a not-so-secret crush on his best friend, Matt, which she daily demonstrated by stalking his every movement, song, and merchandise that he produced. Three, she was a year older than him and the rest of the Digidestined and a senior in high school. Four, she didn't even _attend_ their high school in the first place, so at least poor Matt had a bit of respite from her crazed fangirlish tendencies that she lavished shamelessly upon him. That was how the world turned. She had no reason whatsoever to purposefully seek him out except to press for the object of her affection's whereabouts and future engagements.

Which happened to be the very reason why she barged into the boy's locker room after Tai and his team had just finished kicking off the first soccer game of the fall season and were cleaning off.

Tai didn't receive much of warning. It all happened so quickly. One minute he was stepping out of the shower and rubbing down his hair, drooping damp and heavy against his head, and the next his ears were being assaulted by one his teammates' hysterical, high-pitched shriek:

"DUDE! _DUDE!_ THERE'S A CHICK IN HERE!"

And then she materialized from out of the swirling clouds of steam like the Creature From the Black Lagoon to stand in front of him, the sweltering temperature of the locker room combined with the fact that she had run a fair distance to get where she was making her tan skin tone flush a vivid red as she panted to catch her breath.

"_Jun!"_ Tai yelped in mortification, his voice rising several octaves above normal as he clutched the towel down about his head to form a sort of skullcap, and was eternally thankful that he had had the sense to at least wrap a towel around his waist before exiting the showers. _"What are you doing here?"_

"Matt's schedule," the girl managed to get out, breathing heavily through her nose. "I want it. I know you know it. Give it to me now!"

"_You couldn't wait until _after_ I at least put some clothes on before you ask that?"_ Tai shouted in humiliation and irritation.

"Eh?" Jun said blinking as she realized she had caught him in a near state of undress. She didn't even have the decency to act embarrassed. "Oh, come on, don't be a baby," she scoffed quite unfazed as her eyes roved across his bare chest glistening with beads of water. "I have a brother. I've lived with him for almost two decades. I think I can safely say there's not much I haven't already seen."

"Taichi, Taichi, man, tell your girlfriend to get out before the coach comes back!" moaned one of his teammates huddled halfway in his locker.

"Yeah, he sees her and we'll all be benched for the rest of the season!" wailed another doing the same, hiding behind his change of clothes hanging overhead.

"With the fall tournament coming up? Not a chance!" Tai shot back, extremely annoyed that they dare come to the conclusion that he and Jun were an item.

If Jun felt just as offended as he did, she didn't show it. She had a one-track mind. "Give me Matt's schedule and I'll go away," she repeated reminiscent of a parrot.

"What good would that do you anyway? This isn't your high school!" Tai yelled.

"It will be. I'm transferring here. I've decided to graduate from the same place as my beloved Matt!" Jun explained, clasping her hands to her face dramatically and growing a bit starry-eyed. "One day, I want to tell our children that Mommy and Daddy were childhood sweethearts and that they met and fell in love at their high school. I want to be in every class Matt is in, so I need his schedule, now hand it over!"

"_What?"_ Tai exclaimed in horror, because all he could think of was that Matt was going to either die of shock, demand to be home-schooled, or relocate to another country to continue his education when he learned the news.

The giddy, vacant expression slipped off Jun's face as he turned and glared at him—probably for interrupting some daydream that he most definitely did not desire to know the intimate details of.

"What, you don't think it's possible for me and Matt to have our Happily Ever After?" she asked.

Tai thought it was possible for them to have an _Un_happily Ever After, but he was wise enough not to say this out loud.

"Does he have another girl? Someone else?" Jun hissed venomously, running her tongue over her upper teeth, looking as if she might suddenly sprout fangs and suck their blood. "Who is she, the little tart!"

Tai took a step backwards, but she advanced like a deranged harpy on the warpath and grabbed at the sides of the towel that had slipped of his head and had fallen around his shoulders. Giving the ends a hard yank, Tai was jerked towards her with a strangled shout by the pressure against the back of his neck and gulped petrified as she pushed her face scant inches away from his.

"I _demand _to know who she is. Tell me this instant!" she growled, tracing her fingers up and down Tai's cheek through the material of the towel, letting him feel the threat of her wicked acrylics that promised pain if he didn't comply.

"Wow, Taichi-san is so cool!" breathed one of his teammates in awe at the scene. "He has an older woman mature in the ways of the world to guide him along!"

"And discipline him when he misbehaves," said another nodding.

"I bet they've had played some fun games," came the final statement.

That was it. Tai couldn't take it anymore.

"ARE YOU GUYS CRAZY?" he screeched, anger coursing through his veins. A sudden, violent urge to take his soccer pleats and bash them all in the heads until their brains leaked out overtook him, but in order to do that he needed to get rid of Jun's steadfast grip.

"Let go!" he snarled, twisting and turning… and tripping over the bench that was directly behind him and hauling Jun along for the ride.

They fell over backwards with twin cries of surprise and Tai found himself sprawled flat out on his back on the floor with Jun on top of him, straddling his thighs and their faces perilously close…

That was when, of course, the male portion of the Digidestined waltzed into the locker room to congratulate him on his win and see what was taking him so long to come out.

"TAICHI-SEMPAI?" Davis choked, bug-eyed and gaping so hugely, his jaw was almost touching the floor. "W-W-W-WHAT… WITH MY SISTER!"

"Fascinating," Izzy said cocking his head to one side to get a better view.

Both frames in Joe's glasses had cracked in half.

T.K. was shielding Cody's eyes with one hand.

"Geez, Tai, if you liked Jun that much, _you_ should have been the one to take Davis home that night instead of me," Matt said, sounding put out that he had had to endure unwanted attention for so long because of that one incident, but a wide grin had settled across his features like Christmas had come early as he gazed down at the two.

"_Maaaaaatt,_ no, this isn't what it looks like!" Jun wailed as she scrambled up from the obscene position and flung herself at him. "My heart remains yours truly now and forever!"

"What the—HEY, YOU! _No girls allowed in the locker room!"_ came the roaring cry of the soccer coach as he made his entrance and spotted the uninvited intruder in their midst.

"I-I-I shall prove this to you! You'll see, one day you will be mine!" Jun cried devoutly as she rushed past him, fleeing in a panic.

"Taichi-san got dumped!" whispered one of his teammates.

"He lost his woman to Ishida—that's gotta hurt."

"Ishida steals all the hot chicks!"

Tai remained where had fallen, stared up at the ceiling and wondered why he had never noticed that the soccer team was composed up of complete and utter imbeciles.

oOo

"You walked in on Tai… and _Jun?_" Kari said, brown eyes widening in surprise as the boys related the incident to the girls once they had all regrouped outside.

"That's what was taking so long?" Yolei asked.

"Ooh, I want all the sordid details!" Mimi squealed excitedly.

"Especially since I thought Jun liked Matt," Sora said.

"Well, that's the thing—I think she still does," Izzy said. "But maybe she's testing the waters first before settling down, so to speak."

Everyone cast speculative eyes at Tai who was striding forward sullenly without speaking.

"Taichi-sempai… _whyyyyy?"_ Davis bawled teary-eyed, appearing very betrayed.

"What are you complaining about, Davis?" T.K. said clapping him on the back. "Think of it this way: if Tai marries Jun one day, then he won't be just your sempai, he'll be your brother for real!"

"Y-yeah?" Davis perked up enthusiastically. "Yeah, that's right! Taichi-sempai, I'll finally have a sibling I really love and admire, yahoo!"

"Of course, that means _Kari_ will be your sister too," Yolei couldn't help adding with an evil grin.

"Oh, yes, how could I have forgotten about that part?" T.K. laughed.

Davis stood stock-still in horror for a few seconds then emitted a small yelp and hurled himself at the older boy, clutching at his arm desperately. "Taichi-sempai, no, don't do it _pleeeeeeeeease!_ You'll still be my brother just not legally! You can't marry Jun, because then I can't marry Kari! Sempai, _sempaiiiiiiii!"_

"Now, Davis, don't go spoiling another man's dream," Matt said smiling like a Cheshire cat. "Tai, I get to be best man at your wedding, right? Hahaha!"

Tai bit the corner of his mouth to refrain from cackling maniacally. He'd see how much Matt would still be laughing once Jun Motomiya appeared in every single one of his classes in the near future.

Muwahahaha.

_To Be Continued...**  
**_

**A/N: **Another crazy digific spawned in the middle of the night. I love Jun, I really do. She's cool. I think more people would like her if she weren't such a crazy stalker fangirl always after Matt. Her character could have been better developed in the second season, too bad.

THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A HUMOROUS ONE-SHOT. LOOK AT THE MONSTROSITY I HAVE CREATED. Oh, well, I love it anyway. It's fun to see how it has evolved since I first started writing this.

I had trouble deciding where to place this in the **Digimon **storyline. I wanted to put this in the year following the end of 02 (just before the WTF Epilogue). But I didn't want to deal with the whole world knowing about Digimon and having partners yet. I wanted Mimi in the story too, not over in America and I wanted everyone except Joe (because he goes to a private school) in the same high school. I faced a problem there. Canon-wise Jun is either a junior or a senior. She really is three years older than the 01 gang and if they were in high school, she would have been in college already. There's a reason the English dub made the Digidestined _five_ years older not three like in the original and I think it's because they didn't like the idea of Jun chasing after someone who was in his second year in _junior_ high school. Also, Japanese high schools are different than American. They only have three years not four and they start the school year in spring not fall. I'm not sure Jun could transfer schools so easily and late into the year here, but I'm taking artistic license.

So I shall state here and now: this fic is officially an AU of the timeline in 02. I had to go edit poor Ken out of the first chapter since he hasn't become friends with the younger kids yet. And Mimi is an exchange student from America (I'll try and make that more clear in the next chapter). I had to boot the kids ages up a little, ugh.

Ages: Jun=17, Joe=17, Matt, Tai, Sora=16, Izzy, Mimi=15, Yolei=13, Ken, Davis, TK, Kari=12, Cody=10

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	2. Backfired

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch.2 ****Backfire****d  
**

Tai supposed it was all his fourth-period Home Economics teacher for his current position in school at the moment. Jun Motomiya was his cooking partner. He should have been absolutely appalled or horrified when the announcement was made, but he had gotten so used to the bad karma that had attached itself to him ever since Jun had first cornered him in the boy's locker room, that he merely took in this news that whispered ill tidings with bored indifference.

Jun Motomiya was his cooking partner. Was he surprised? No. Probability of flunking the class? Very high. Did he care? Not really. He had been dealt yet another unfair blow in life. So what else was new?

He rested his chin his hand and didn't even bat an eyelash when he she took her place on the other side of the table and graced him with a scowl of displeasure.

"You've ruined everything!" Jun hissed at him, her nostrils flaring out like an enraged bull's. "After all the trouble I've gone through convincing my parents that Odaiba High School is more ideal to graduate from compared to my old school and having to wear this _hideous_ puke-green, sailor scout-wannabe uniform—" the girl tugged at the hem of her skirt in disgust, flashing a bit of bare knee, "and attaining Matt's schedule so I can get closer to him—just to have the entire school think I transferred here because I missed my stupid boyfriend, aka _you!_"

A rumor had started circulating shortly after the Locker Room Incident as it had come to be known about how soccer star Taichi Kamiya and an older girl had taken a tumble in the afore-mentioned locker room… literally. As with all rumors, the true facts were either forgotten or ignored on purposed until that remained were details blown way out of proportion. His reputation had shot up in the eyes of his upperclassmen in any case though. He would have felt kind of good about it, if it hadn't been, you know, _Jun_ that they thought he was with.

"And now Matt's under the impression that I'm not available and dating his best friend and it's tearing him up inside that he can't have me and he's giving me the brush off because of how hurt he is and I can't get him to talk to me and you can't fix things because you and Matt are fighting now and he won't talk to you either and _it's all your fault!"_ Jun wailed in one long piteous breath.

Tai didn't bother trying to explain to her that Matt hadn't much cared for his schedule being given to his number one stalker behind his back and for Tai not telling him ahead of time that Jun was transferring to their school.

oOo

_Three days earlier…_

"My life is officially over!" Matt moaned trudging into their homeroom and slumping over his desk, burying his head in his arms.

"What's the matter?" Sora asked coming up to stand next him.

"My worst nightmare come true, that's what," Matt whimpered, lifting his face so that his friends could see his crazed, bloodshot eyes shining with pure terror. "Jun transferred _here_—to our high school and she's somehow managed to get into every single one of my extracurricular courses!"

"Wow, that's what I call taking stalking to an all new-level," Izzy said with both eyebrows raised. "How do you know this anyway?"

"She cornered me at my locker and was only to happy to share the joyful news," Matt explained, shuddering at the memory. "She said she was going to make my high school days full of exciting experiences that this would be the time that when I looked back later in life and 'cherish the fond memories of.'"

"Poor Matt," Mimi sighed dramatically. "Love is a powerful thing!"

"What I don't understand is how she knows my entire schedule!" Matt exclaimed, sounding close to cracking under anxiety. "She recited all of my classes by heart and said even if she couldn't take the ones I'm in that she already has had before, we could still meet up in the hallway to have our _special moments!_"

Everyone winced at this.

"She must have gotten a hold of my schedule beforehand somehow! There's no way being in all my other classes is a coincidence! So how the heck did she—" Matt cut himself off abruptly midway and cast a suspicious look towards Tai who had been watching his friend's rant with calm indifference. "You didn't…" Matt said, his voice taking on a threatening edge to it.

Tai leaned back in his chair, wiggled his finger around in his ear a bit, and threw a bored look back in return. "Oops," he said humorlessly.

Matt was so furious he lost the ability to speak for a minute.

"That was a really rotten thing to do, Tai," Sora said frowning at him.

"Is this about us walking in on you and Jun?" Izzy asked. "You know none of us really took that seriously. There was no need to do something so drastic."

"We knew it was accident. We were only teasing you," Mimi said.

"I was angry. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision," Tai claimed trying to shrug it off.

"That still doesn't make it right," Sora said.

"Sure, take _Matt's_ side!" Tai snapped.

"So you not only gave Jun my schedule, but you knew she was transferring here beforehand and didn't even tell me?" Matt demanded, his voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"That's right, _I didn't_," Tai stated, an anger of his own sweeping over him. "And know what else? I hope she makes your life miserable from now on!"

"Tai!" Sora shouted. "What's gotten into you!"

It was the bell ringing signifying that classes would start in five minutes that saved him. Matt was clutching the edges of his desk with both hands so tightly his knuckles were turning white and the expression he wore on his face closely resembled the ones he used to shoot at him during the several long months in their first stay in the Digital World—piercing blue eyes charged with enough fire they gave off the vibe that they hoped Tai would spontaneously combust in the next few seconds.

Izzy and Mimi had had to leave to go to their own classroom one floor down, both of them being one year younger than the others. Unfortunately, Tai had had to remain in the same room with his two so-called best friends, neither of which was speaking to him now for his deception.

He told himself that was fine. That there was nothing to talk about anyway and that he didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt for what he had done, and tried very hard not to think about the reason why he felt so angry or what had made him give out Matt's schedule, because he knew it hadn't been just about the others kidding him about the Locker Room Incident, and it frightened him on what he would find if he looked too deeply.

It hadn't taken long for the entire school to realize that something was amiss between Matt Ishida and Tai Kamiya, both once steadfast friends now giving each other the cold, silent treatment. Rumors and speculation ran rampant on what had caused this rift… then Jun Motomiya had appeared on the scene and the soccer team had wasted no time in pointing out that she was the girl from the Locker Room Incident who had allegedly dumped Tai and was pursuing Matt and most likely the sudden enmity between them was the result of this complicated love triangle.

oOo

"I've got it all figured out," Jun said bringing him back to the present. "If everyone thinks you and I are a couple, then we'll just have to break up!"

_That_ jarred Tai into full wakefulness. "What do you mean 'break up'? We aren't together in the first place!"

"That's the spirit!" Jun said clapping her hands together enthusiastically. "Keep up that attitude and more people will actually be convinced before too long! We just have to plan some sort of major scene that will be unforgettable where I dump you."

"What? No way, if anything, _I'll _be the one doing the dumping!" Tai declared, completely bypassing the fact that he was agreeing to such a ridiculous scheme that he had scoffed at moments ago.

"_No one_ dumps Jun Motomiya, Jun Motomiya dumps _them_," Jun hissed, narrowing her eyes at him in warning. "Besides, I deserve some compensation for being labeled with a wild-haired soccer freak as my love interest."

"Yeah, what about me?" Tai retorted. "You think I actually _want_ people to think I'm attracted the psychotic, obsessive type?"

"_Who's_ psychotic?" Jun snarled, curling her upper lip into a fierce scowl, her right hand unconsciously curling around the handle of the chopping knife laid out among the rest of the cutlery upon the table.

"Alright, class, today we will be making tempura. Please gather up your ingredients and utensils listed on the provided sheet and don't forget your aprons and hats this time," their teacher's voice rang out over head in a bored, droning tone.

Tai decided it would be best for his safety and health if _he_ collected the ingredients from the cupboard. Jun's utensil-gathering skills seemed to be already perfected.

oOo

The first ten minutes in was spent in a stony silence with both of them cutting the vegetables up into bite-size pieces and shooting scathing glares at each other over the tabletop.

"What makes you think Matt would want you for a girlfriend anyway?" Tai finally asked, caving in first.

"What do you mean by that?" Jun inquired suspiciously, pausing half-way through slicing.

"I mean it's not like you have much to offer," Tai shrugged. "You guys have nothing in common that I can see. It's like you're chasing him because you like his image and his music, but that only makes you appear like another one of his crazed fangirls."

"What do you know?" Jun cried, chopping the head off a carrot viciously. "That might have been true at first, but now that I've gotten to know him better ever since he took me out on a date—"

"That you practically blackmailed him into," Tai reminded her.

"I've discovered there's more to him than just a pretty face and gorgeous-singing voice," Jun continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "Underneath that cool exterior he tries to portray, he's a very soft-hearted, caring person who holds family values into the highest esteem. I think he would make an excellent father and husband."

"Do you really want to get married that young?" Tai questioned incredulously. "We're still in high school for crying out loud!"

"I'm thinking about the future," Jun stated matter-of-factly. "Of course I will go to college and then get a job, but I want to make sure the man at my side will be someone who supports my decisions and opinions."

"I can't believe I'm having this conversation," Tai muttered shaking his head.

"Oh like _you're_ the expert on relationships," Jun scoffed. "Have you ever _had_ a girlfriend?"

Tai turned as red as the bell pepper he was cutting. "I think we need to heat the oil," he said, his voice squeaking slightly as he turned the knobs on the stove on high.

A sly grin was lingering around the corner of Jun's mouth. "Mmm-hmm, that's what I thought," she said smugly.

"W-what? What do you think?" Tai sputtered, struggling to open a bag of flour so he could pour it into a bowl and make the batter. "I just never had time for one that's all. Soccer and all," he finished lamely.

"Oh, come on. I know lots of girls who dated jocks. I've dated a few myself. Believe me, sports do not take up all of your life," Jun said rolling her eyes. "The only guys who claim that are the ones who want to ditch their girlfriend and can't think of a better excuse. But that doesn't apply to you in your case." Jun stared hard at him for a moment as if assessing him. "Maybe girls aren't your cup of tea?"

"_What!" _Tai exclaimed angrily, ripping the bag in his hands and a column of flour exploded into the air like a mushroom cloud, covering him in a thin coat of powdery, white grain.

Jun doubled over laughing and Tai opened his mouth to tell her off… and launched into a fit of sneezing and coughing as his lungs inhaled the fine powder.

"A little less playing and more cooking would be prudent for your grade," the teacher warned as she strode past inspecting tables. "Wash up, Mr. Kamiya."

"Oh, don't look so wounded," Jun said after Tai had finished cleaning up at the sink. "It was a joke. You don't have that 'other team' flair at all. I guess you're too terminally shy to ask a girl out."

Tai wondered if he would have to repeat a year if dropped the class now and didn't come back.

Jun was humming merrily as she whipped the flour and water into batter. Listening more closely, Tai recognized it as the tune of one of Matt's new songs.

"So… you've had lots of boyfriends then?" he asked casually, dumping the cut-up vegetables into the mix when she held bowl out to him.

"A fair few," Jun replied loftily, carefully coating each vegetable in the batter. "Why?"

"Matt will be interested to know that you're _experienced_ then, I suppose," Tai couldn't resist saying, grinning as he waggled his eyebrows devilishly.

Payback! Muwahahaha!

"What kind of cheap floozy do you take me for?" Jun squawked indignantly, losing her grip on the chopsticks that was currently gripping a batter-coated vegetable over the hot skillet. The piece fell in from a high height and hot oil up spattered up into the air like a geyser and landed on the girl's arm.

Jun shrieked in pain at the burn and stumbled backwards in an effort to get away from the viciously spitting skillet and bumped into the back of a person at the table behind her.

There was a sickening _crunch_ of a knife slicing into something that was definitely not a vegetable and the boy's horrified, startled scream as they held up a finger dripping with a fluid, red substance.

"I-is that_… blood?"_ the boy's partner choked, her face changing to a nasty shade of green before upchucking her lunch all over the floor.

Another person who was returning to his table with a packet of sesame seeds from the cupboard, crossed the floor, lost his footing in the unnoticed puddle, slipped and fell flat on his back in the mess, realized what he was lying in… and promptly repeated the process.

Retching sounds resounded all over the room as their classmates viewed the scene and those with weak stomachs became violently ill.

In the end, the teacher strode through the sea of vomit to the only two students left standing (the others having collapsed or fled from the foul-smelling room) to level a piercing stare over the bridge of her classes at the gaping Tai and Jun, shell-shocked at how much damage they had managed to produce in less than a minute.

"Need I tell you your grade for this curriculum or can you take a wild guess?" she inquired dryly.

oOo

"So I heard the Chemistry teacher broke down into tears when he saw your names on the roster and realized he had you two next period."

"Izzy…"

"Well, is it true?"

"Izzy."

"There has to be a reason why you both got transferred to Environmental Science 101 all of a sudden."

"_Izzy."_

"There's a pool going around claiming you two would blow up the science lab in less than fifteen minutes if given the opportunity."

"Izzy!"

"Did you know that the student body has even given you a couple-name now? Kamotomiya. Of course, that's such an unappealing mouthful people are combining your first names instead: Junichi."

"IZZY! Wait, how come Jun's name is in front of mine?"

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** As, you all know, I decided to continue this, haha! I really had fun writing Tai and Jun this chapter. Can someone say: Fifth Grade Flirtation? XD I was originally going to have them blow up the science lab, but I don't know chemicals react badly with what so I cast that idea aside. I got the Home Economics/tempura idea from watching _The Girl Who Leapt Through Time_ and if the throwing up scene sounded familiar it's because it's from _Cheaper By the Dozen._ Just thought I'd give credit where it's due. Tai and Jun's conversation is _all mine_ though!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	3. The Way To A Man's Heart Is

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch.3 The Way To A Man's Heart Is…**

"Hey, Taichi-san, your girlfriend's looking for you!" crowed one of his classmates during lunch break.

Tai looked up from eating his _bento _and did a quick sweep of the classroom until he finally caught sight of Jun standing in the doorway doing her own search. Tai stood a textbook upright on his desk and slouched down low in his chair to hide his head behind it and hoped she wouldn't notice him.

No such luck.

"Quit acting like a two-year sulking. We need to talk!" Jun ordered marching over to his desk and yanking his cover away.

"We have nothing to talk about," Tai said turning sideways in his chair, pointedly ignoring her.

"Treating his girlfriend like that—so mean!" one of his female classmates whispered to her friends sitting at their desks grouped together.

"No wonder I hear she's dumping him. What a jerk," whispered another.

"Ah, ah," came a chorus of agreements.

Tai stabbed his chopsticks into his rice irritably.

"Motomiya-san, leave Taichi-san and go out with me! I'll treat you right!" exclaimed a member of the baseball club leaning in too far into her personal space.

"_Too close!" _Jun shouted swinging her balled hand backwards and nailing a wicked punch to the guy's face without even turning around.

Tai stared at the boy knocked out on the floor, a trickle of blood leaking out of his nose, and then up at Jun who was busy cracking her knuckles in preparation and suddenly felt fear replace the irritation.

"We can do this the easy way or I do the same to you and then haul you out of here by your gigantic, Saint Seiyan hair," the girl growled threateningly.

Tai wasn't sure what was worse: him giving in and following her or his classmates' mad chanting of "Junichi! Junichi! Junichi!" on their way out.

oOo

"Alright, I've thought about it a good long while and I think I've come to a conclusion on how to show Matt my intentions towards him are honest and true," Jun stated as she paced back and forth on the school's rooftop where she had led them.

Tai rolled his eyes where he stood leaning against the rooftop's railing with his arms crossed. He supposed he could have told her Matt wouldn't want to be with her if they were the last two people left on the planet, but he doubted she would believe him. So, in the meantime until she came to this realization herself, he would have to suffer and endure.

"Grandmother has always told me "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" so I've decided to make Matt a _bento_ everyday and I want to prepare his favorite food, so you have to tell me what it is!" Jun declared in one large breath. "Well?" she demanded when Tai remained silent.

"I don't know," Tai shrugged and it was true. There wasn't anything specific that he could recall Matt eating or any special ingredients he would buy. "Matt is perfectly capable of making his own meals by the way," he felt he should add, remembering all the times he had gone over to his friend's apartment to find Matt fixing dinner for his dad.

"A man who can cook!" Jun squealed excitedly, that now-familiar star-stricken expression floating across her face.

"Yeah, so there's no need for you go through with this crazy scheme of yours," Tai said.

"Wrong!" Jun screeched. "Wrong, wrong, wrong! It is now even more important than ever that I prove to Matt I am wife material! That I can and _will_ do household duties such as cooking even when I know that my husband can perform the same task probably far better! I have to do this! This role Hestia herself has bestowed upon all females! I will do this and I shall _triumph!"_

"Okay, then, have fun," Tai said trying to slink off. Anytime someone started ranting about ancient Greek goddesses it was definitely time to leave.

"Hold it!" Jun cried, snapping her attention back to him. "If you don't know Matt's favorite food then you will just have to ask him and find out!"

"If you hadn't noticed, he's not exactly talking to me at the moment," Tai said refreshing her memory.

"You're just going to have to apologize and make up then," Jun stated matter-of-factly.

"I am not apologizing!" Tai exclaimed heatedly. "Besides this is all your fault for coming here in the first place!"

"You apologize to Matt or _else,_" Jun bit out.

"Or else what?" Tai asked with narrowed eyes.

"Or else… _this!"_ Jun shouted, whipping out a photograph and holding it out in front of her so Tai could see its embarrassing contents.

"_Where'd you get that?"_ Tai shrieked loosing his composure completely, feeling the blood rush to his face.

"I have my sources," Jun stated evasively. "Now go to Matt and apologize and find out his favorite food or I'm posting copies of this all over the school and everyone will see you mooning them with your pink butt," she warned, waving the picture tauntingly.

"You do that to your own _boyfriend?"_ Tai questioned incredulously.

"They won't know it was me. Don't worry, I can act shocked too, see?" Jun said, widening her eyes and opening her eyes in a little 'o' of surprise. "Now are you going to quit stalling and do what I told you?"

"Or I can just take the picture from you instead," Tai declared.

Jun raised both eyebrows, locked gazes with him… then stuffed the photograph down the front of her uniform in the space of a heartbeat. "Try it if you dare," she invited him taking a bold hands-on-hips stance.

Tai stared at her for several seconds, shook his head in disbelief and turned to go.

Before whirling back around and lunging wildly at her.

Jun let out a startled scream and dashed into the rooftop entrance, fairly sprinting down the stairwell, Tai fast at her heels.

"_You would attack a defenseless girl?"_ she screeched double-jumping steps.

"YOU'RE NOT A GIRL! YOU'RE A DEMON! AND YOU'RE CERTAINLY NOT DEFENSELESS!" Tai bellowed enraged.

In a manner that would put a pro-football player to shame, he leaped forward and tackled her around the ankles sending both of them crashing through the second floor exit door. The landed in a heap on the floor both winded from their abrupt flight. Tai recovered first and in a flash he was sitting on top of her legs so she couldn't move and patting down her sides trying to feel where the photograph was.

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaah! Pervert! Taichi-san is a pervert!" shrieked a female on-looker pointing at him.

"S-s-sexual harassment!" shouted another.

"Where do you think you're touching?" Jun yelled as Tai's hands roved a little too high for comfort, and with a snap of her head she had sunk her teeth into her assailant's arm like an ill-tempered billy goat.

Tai rolled off her with a pained cry and then Jun was standing over him attempting to smash his head open like an eggshell with her feet. She managed to score one hit of her heel to his eye before the teachers' cavalry arrived at the scene and pulled them apart.

oOo

"Are they really suspending you for sexual harassment?" Matt asked intrigued as he stood by Tai's bedside in the school's infirmary.

"They were going to until Jun laughed in their faces and said if that was sexual harassment my future wife was going to be very disappointed," Tai said in too much pain to question Matt's presence, his left cheek sore and bruised from where Jun had kicked it earlier. "Then she somehow convinced them we were practicing a skit for the school's Talent Show, so all they did was warn us to practice somewhere else next time. Why are you here anyway?" he asked looking at him through a swollen eyelid. "I thought we were fighting."

"Hey, don't get me wrong," Matt said. "I'm still mad at you and think you haven't suffered _nearly _enough, but I can't help feeling sorry for you. It's got to be rough being Jun's boyfriend."

"God, Matt, don't you start on me now too," Tai moaned. "It's bad enough with everyone else thinking that. Give me a break."

"Any chance on you sharing with me what you were 'sexually harassing' her for?' Matt questioned with a grin.

"Remember that trip all of us took up to Honshu to visit the hot springs and they had that tourist attraction where you could put on a Macaque monkey costume and take pictures of and you told me not to do it because things like are liable to come back and haunt you when you least expected it?" Tai asked.

"Yeah…" Matt said slowly.

"Well, you were right," Tai grimaced.

"How did Jun even know about that much less get a hold of one of those shots?" Matt wondered.

"She's the spawn of Satan. She's omniscient. She can walk through walls and crawl through tvs," Tai rambled breaking out into a cool sweat as he hyperventilated.

"Calm down," Matt said. "Why was she threatening you with that anyway?"

"She wanted me to apologize to you and find out your favorite food so she can make you _bento_ and show off her wifely attributes," Tai shamelessly told.

"_Bento?_ I'm going to be stuck eating her cooking until she graduates?" Matt shuddered at the thought.

"Sorry, she's relentless."

"Well, just make something up," Matt said. "Tell her something that's too much trouble to prepare and maybe she'll give up. Something like onigara-yaki."

"Lobster? Are you serious?" Tai asked. "Oh, the fame of a celebrity _is_ going to your head, isn't it? You sure you still want to attend this school and mingle with such commoners?"

"Shut up," Matt said, clamping down on a grin. "So… would you have?"

"What?"

"Apologized. If, you know, you hadn't lost your head and started sexually harassing people," Matt said looking everywhere but at Tai.

"Heh… I dunno. Maybe," Tai replied, fingering the hem of his bed sheet. "Maybe… I'm apologizing right now?"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"We're cool?"

"We're cool."

They stayed there in an awkward silence shooting sheepish smiles at each other, each one reading _I missed you,_ and somehow Tai found himself feeling very grateful towards the circumstances that had put him there. Because, really, compared to gaining a friend back, gaining a sore jaw was nothing.

oOo

"Why do _I_ have to eat it? I thought you cooked it for Matt!"

"I can't just feed this to Matt! I've never cooked lobster before! What if I give him food poisoning? Now open up!"

"I _refuse_ to be your guinea pig!"

"Get back here this instant, you coward!"

"It's not a matter of cowardice! It's a matter of survival and self-preservation!"

"Remember the picture, you pink-cheeked, furry baboon!"

"Damn yoooou!"

_Fwumph!_

_CRASH!_

"KYAAAAAAH! TAICHI-SAN IS AT IT AGAIN!"

"SEXUAL HARASSMENT!"

_Riiiiiip!_

"HAHA! THE EVIDENCE HAS BEEN DESTROYED!"

"I HAVE NEGATIVES! NOW TAKE IT LIKE MAN AND EAT THE BOILED CRUSTACEAN!"

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **I'll be brief here because I have a cold. First of all, Macaque monkeys (snow monkeys) are native to Japan and dwell near the hot springs. Hehe, I know what you guys were thinking when Jun first said "pink butt". Shame on you for having your mind in the gutter!^^ Hestia is the Greek goddess of the family and hearth. She would be the deity young girls would try and follow her shining example of domesticity. Onigara-yaki is cooked lobster. I just wanted a fancy Japanese meal and was too tired to look up a plethora of recipes so I went with that. Bento is a box-lunch of course and in Japan, it depends on which school the student goes to, but it is not uncommon for them to eat lunch in the classroom or go to the rooftop during break. In fact, most anime and live drama fans will see this setting a lot. I think I got this chapter out so quickly because I was inspired by watching _Hana Kimi_ and _Hana Yori Dango_ as well as _Nobuta wo Produce_. I just love Japanese high school comedies!

I wrote this all in one setting. I am having tremendous fun writing this fic! Tai and Jun are a hoot! I already know and have planned out the ending, but I'm going to take my time getting there. If you have any prompts you want to see in the fic, tell me and I'll see if I can fit them in.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	4. Love Is A Jealous Thing

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Explanation of Japanese terms at end of chapter.

**Ch.4 Love Is A Jealous Thing**

"Oh, Tai, it's for you!" his mother called out one evening after picking up the phone.

Wandering over, Tai should have noted the smile his mother was trying to hide and the strange glint in her eyes as a warning sign, but his mind was still scrambled from an hour of math homework. So without thinking, he took the phone from her and greeted a bleary "Hello," into the receiver.

"How did Matt like my onigara-yaki?" Jun's breathless, excited voice crackled across the line.

"How did you get this number?" Tai demanded his senses springing fully awake. Noticing that his mother was watching him from the kitchen while pretending not to, he turned around so she couldn't see the annoyed expression on his face.

"Davis," Jun stated as if it weren't already obvious.

"Remind me to kill your brother next time I see him," Tai said keeping his voice low so his mother couldn't hear.

"Oh, the little twerp doesn't even know. I snitched it from his address book. Now tell me if Matt liked my _bento!_" Jun pressed insistently.

"Uh…" Tai said not sure how to tell her Matt had just thrown it away without trying. He had thought that was unusually cruel thing to do even if it had been Jun who had cooked the meal, but Matt had claimed he wouldn't have put it past the girl to have struck a deal with a _kitsune-tsukai_ to cast a magic love spell over it and that it was safer if he didn't eat it.

Jun drew her own conclusions from his hesitance. "He hated it, didn't he!" she wailed. "I knew I cooked it too long! And Mom wouldn't let me have any sake to marinate it in! What's he going to think of me now that he's found out his future wife can't even make his favorite food! _Waaaaaah!"_

Jun's miserable sobbing drifted into the air quite loudly and Tai heard his mother cluck disapprovingly no doubt thinking he was the cause of it. "No, no, that's not it!" Tai said trying to console the girl. If she didn't stop caterwauling he was going to get an hour-long lecture on the consequences of making females cry. "He thought it was good! He's just… changed his mind on what food he likes the best, that's all!"

Jun's crying trickled into sniffles. "Really?" she asked hopefully.

"Yeah. He likes tsukimi udon now," Tai said naming something from the top of his head.

"_Tsukimi udon?"_ Jun said in disbelief, her voice climbing several octaves higher. "I can't make a _bento _out of that! That has broth and a raw egg and has to be eaten fresh!"

"Mmm, too bad, huh? Okay, bye," Tai said preparing to hang up.

"Wait!" Jun cried making him stop in place. "He's testing me isn't he?"

"What?" Tai wasn't sure he understood what she meant by that.

"This is a test to prove my devotion by giving me a seemingly-impossible task to conquest! Well, I shall show him my faithfulness!" Jun declared stoutly. "My determination will persevere!"

Now Tai was really lost.

"Once Matt sees that I can cook anything for him under whatever conditions he will have to realize the truth of my unwavering love for him!"

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe if you toned down the surprise glomping attacks out of nowhere and the hyperactive tendencies and the obsessive stalking that he might actually consider you more favorably?" Tai questioned wondering if she was really that blind to Matt's brush-offs of her _devotion_ to him.

"That's just him playing-hard-to-get," Jun replied.

Yep, blind as a bat.

"Well, you know it isn't exactly helping you being labeled as my girlfriend at school if you really want to catch him," Tai sighed.

"Oh, I think it's a great tactic," Jun said with an evil cackle that made the hairs on the back of Tai's neck stand on end. "Everyone thinks we're a couple and it's making him soooooo jealous!"

"Are you _serious?_"

"Why are you so surprised? It's working in your favor too."

"What?"

"I'm sure there are plenty of girls at school who want to date an attractive guy like you and are unable to now because of our little charade. But that's how you know if you really like someone—if you see them with someone else and get jealous. Don't worry, once my cooking wins Matt's heart and we drop this farce, your secret admirers will be free to pursue you."

"_What?" _Tai was certain he had heard wrong.

"It's just that when you're _not_ pouting like child or scowling like some deranged berserker, your appearance is actually not that bad to look at," Jun explained. "Gosh, you sound like a girl has never called you attractive before."

"Yeah they have, my mother," Tai protested.

Jun erupted into a fit of hysterical, high-pitched laughter on the other end of the line that lasted a good two minutes. Tai wondered why he didn't hang up, especially when the next words out of her mouth were, "Wow, that's just sad."

If his eyes had been lasers, the phone would have melted down into a puddle of plastic from the seething glare he blasted at it.

"What's wrong with girls if they haven't noticed a handsome guy like you wandering around unattached?" Jun continued with a slight giggle in her voice as if knowing she was embarrassing him.

"Er…" If ever there was a time where Tai wished for an earthquake to occur—nothing large or destructive, just a minor one, enough to knock the phone lines out for a while—it was then.

"Now, now, don't go losing your head," Jun chided. "It's just playful flirting. Girls do that to hone their skills. Matt shall remain number one in my heart for now until eternity! Thank you for telling me about the tsukimi udon. I will find a way to serve it to him no matter what the circumstances!"

"No… problem," Tai managed to croak out weakly.

"See you at school tomorrow, Tai," Jun said, a cheerful ring in her tone as she hung up with a _click._

_I think that's the first time she's ever used my name,_ Tai thought in numb amazement.

"Mou, mou, my own son didn't even tell me he got a girlfriend!" came his mother's lilting sob from behind. "To deceive the very person who brought him into this world—does this mean he doesn't care enough to seek her approval of the girl he has chosen?"

"_Mom!"_ Tai yelped feeling his face burn like it was on fire. "This isn't the freaking feudal era! I can go out with whoever I want to! I mean—not that I _am_ going with her or _want_ to go out with her!"

"Now he yells at me rudely and rebels," his mother lamented. "How have I raised such a brutish ruffian?"

"What's going on?" Kari asked coming out from her room in her pajamas. "Mom, are you _crying?_"

"Your brother has denied me the pleasure of setting up an _omiai_ for him!" their mother said, weeping openly her face buried in the palm of her hands. "And I was so looking forward to collecting a portfolio of prospective brides! It's not faaaair!"

"_Sixteen_ here!" Tai exclaimed exasperated pointing to himself. "And who decided I was getting married anyway?"

"You would shame this family by children conceived out of wedlock?" their mother cried looking mortified.

"What? No, that's not what I—_never mind!_ WOMEN ARE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE!" Tai screamed stalking into his room and slamming the door.

"Didn't you and Dad elope?" Kari asked her mother.

"That's beside the point," her mother sniffled, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with her apron.

"I think those _taiga _dramas you watch are going to your head, Mom."

oOo

Sora was waiting for him in front of the school gates looking much pleasanter than the last time he had spoken to her—when and Matt had been fighting. He was glad to see her. Ever since she had quit the soccer team, he had seen less and less of her until most of their time spent together was in classes.

"I'm glad you and Matt made up," she said with a smile.

"How'd you know about that so quick?" Tai asked falling into step beside her as they passed by the inspection guard.

"Matt told me."

"Oh, of course."

"He's happy again. You may not realize it, Tai, but Matt appreciates your friendship very much. He said that if it weren't for you he would have never opened up to people as much as he does now and would still be living in the self-imposed barrier he constructed around himself."

"He… said that?" Tai asked feeling touched.

"Mmm," Sora nodded as they went to their lockers to exchange their shoes for school slippers. "He really hates it when you guys fight. Speaking of which, Tai, about Jun—"

"_Taichiiii!" _sang out a female voice. The owner was none other than Jun Motomiya waiting by his locker with a carrier bag in her hands, whom upon spotting them, the girl waved one hand enthusiastically.

"Um… see you in class, Tai," Sora said edging away and giving him a baffled glance before heading to her own locker.

"What are you doing?" Tai hissed at Jun as soon as he got within close enough range.

"Upping the game," Jun said pushing the bag into his hands. "Put it in your locker and don't open it 'til after school. You'll understand."

"What?"

But Jun was already off half-way down the hall with a lively skip in her step.

oOo

"I thought it was just a misunderstanding that everyone thinks you and Jun are dating," Matt said once the day was over and school was letting out.

"It is," Tai said opening his locker and seeing the carrier bag Jun had given him that morning sitting on top of his shoes.

Jun hadn't come to his classroom at lunchtime. There had been speculation whether or not the school's most dysfunctional couple had yet another quarrel. Then a few people told about seeing Jun give him a bag earlier and said they were merely being lovey-dovey with such "absence makes the heart grow fonder" nonsense. Tai had done his best to ignore their comments and enjoy Jun's non-existent presence for the moment knowing it wouldn't last long.

"Then why does it seem like you two are really going out?" Matt asked curiously, an odd note in his voice.

"Extremely bad coincidences," Tai muttered, cautiously opening the bag a crack and peering inside.

And everything clicked into place suddenly. Oh, this was going to be fun.

"What a day!" Mimi said coming up behind them stretching her arms in the air. "I had forgotten how much pressure Japanese schools put on you. Maybe I shouldn't have joined that international student exchange program after all. Ooh, I need to relieve some stress. I know! Let's all go hang out together! We haven't done that in years!"

"Can't. The band and me are going to rehearse some new songs," Matt stated as they walked out of the school doors and into the bright sunshine of the afternoon.

"And the computer teacher has requested I come and tutor him again on the finer dynamics of JavaScript and CSS for his website, so that counts me out," Izzy said joining them, sighing wearily.

"Sora?" Mimi asked almost pleadingly, jutting out her lower lip in a soft pout.

"Tennis practice," Sora said apologetically.

"And Joe has cram school—it's not fair! I wanted to catch up with what was new with everyone! I hate being out of the loop for so long!" Mimi cried frustrated.

"Maybe Tai can go with you. The soccer team doesn't meet today," Sora offered as if she were the manager of his entire schedule.

"Sorry, I've made other plans," Tai said, a grin spreading slowly across his face as he reached into the carrier bag and pulled out a motorcycle helmet.

The revving of a motor resounded in everyone's ears as Jun Mototmiya sped down the walkway on her moped, scattering students in her wake and coming to a screeching halt directly in front of them that peeled pavement. The girl hooked her finger on the bridge of her sunglasses and drew them down lower on her nose so she could look at everyone over the top of the frames and cracked a broad smile. "Well?" she asked, motioning to the empty seat behind her with a nod of her head.

Tai wished he had his sister's camera to capture his friends' astonished, open-mouthed expressions as he climbed on the back of the moped and put on the spare helmet Jun had given him. Then he realized to some chagrin he wasn't sure where to put his hands.

"You've already subjected me to sexual harassment. Putting them around my waist is child's play, right?" Jun said as if she could read his mind.

With a laugh, Tai did as instructed. The shock that raced from his fingertips up his arm when his bare hands touched the material of her uniform was unexpected. Icy cool chills were shooting down his spine, but his hands felt warm, burning…

Jun didn't appear to be suffering from the same effects as him. With a cheeky grin, the girl saluted her gaping audience, gripped the handlebars on her moped and burned fuel, leaving a lingering trail of exhaust behind.

"Did you see their faces!" Jun whooped ecstatically as she zoomed down the street, zigzagging the spaces in between cars. "I think they were about to faint! Hahaha!"

"Do you think it's right though? Playing with people's emotions like this?" Tai yelled to be heard above the rush of wind in his face, trying desperately to ignore the heat still flaring in his hands that were wrapped around the girl's middle.

"By the end of tomorrow, we'll both have an answer to our unresolved love, trust me!" Jun shouted.

"I don't have any unresolved love!" Tai argued.

"Careful or your nose is going to be able to reach across Rainbow Bridge!" Jun warned.

The burning sensation in his hands was starting to cool. Tai was relieved as he was unsure of what it meant. He sat in silence wondering if perhaps he was catching a cold and Jun's words from the night before drifted back to him.

"_But that's how you know if you really like someone—if you see them with someone else and get jealous."_

He hoped he hadn't been just dragged into another one of Jun Motomiya's crazy schemes.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Explanation of Japanese terms:

_Kistune-tsukai: _"fox-witch". The kitsune-tsukai forms a contract with its fox familiar, typically promising food and daily care in return for the fox's magical services. The fox of Japanese folklore is a powerful trickster in and of itself, imbued with powers of shape changing, possession, and illusion.

_Tsukimi udon: _literally "viewing the moon". Udon noodles with chicken broth, raw eggs, leeks, and soy sauce. The raw egg depicts the moon among "clouds" (noodles). It is usually served in autumn. I think it sounds very romantic^^

_Omiai_: Japanese traditional custom in which unattached individuals are introduced to each other to consider the possibility of marriage. Usually meetings are arranged by the parents.

_Taiga _dramas: year-long, historical fiction television series broadcast in Japan.

Things are getting interesting aren't they? Wherever shall this lead? :o Looks like I'm slowly converting digifans to Junichi going by reviewers' remarks. XD Awesome! Just in case anyone is wondering about my opinion, I do _not _support what Tai and Jun are doing. If you want to know if someone you like likes you back, confess to them and be prepared for their answer whether good or bad. Making people jealous to prove they care only hurts the one you love and in some cases, if they don't care, it can backfire on you.

Fun Facts: I like listening to songs that seem to describe Jun and Tai's relationship in this fic. It helps inspire me. For example: "I Hate Everything About You". I listen to other songs to that I think suits either character. Taylor Swift's "Better Than Revenge" always makes me imagine June singing that about Sora. And of course I imagine Matt singing Simple Plan's "Vacation" about Jun. XD

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^

Happy New Year, everyone!


	5. Night Out

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

**Ch.5 Night Out**

"Why are we here?" Tai questioned taking in his surroundings where Jun had driven them, which happened to be the front of a shopping arcade.

"Getting a first-hand look at this tsukimi udon," Jun replied swinging her legs over the side of the moped and climbing off.

"Okay, why am _I_ still here?" Tai asked not budging from his seat.

"I thought this shopping expedition could be beneficial to us both," Jun said in a brisk, business-like manner. "You seem to know a lot about Matt being his best friend all. I thought you could tell me his likes and dislikes and help me pick out a present for him. And in return, I could help you out and give you a girl's opinion on where you stand."

"Where I stand on what?" Tai asked on guard.

"On the girl you like, of course," Jun said with a roll of her eyes.

"You're delusional!"

"Then why did you get on the back of my moped if you weren't trying to make someone jealous?" Jun inquired shrewdly, nodding when Tai didn't meet her gaze. "Come on, tell me. We're in the same boat together. Which one was it? That tennis-player or that pink-haired exchange student?

"W-what?"

"Well, as I don't see you hanging around a lot of girls other than those two, then I'm assuming it has to be one of them," Jun explained. "Or are you really trying to convince me that you think girls still have cooties? I'm not buying it."

"You're wrong!" Tai protested. "We're just friends. All of us that you saw. I just wanted to play a practical joke on them since they're still unsure whether or not we're going out—you know, psych them out a bit."

"Okay, fine, deny it all you want," Jun said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Come on, we're here anyway. Let's go eat udon."

"_You_ go eat udon. I'm going home," Tai said getting off the moped and casting his eyes about for the nearest subway station.

"I still have copies of the _pho-to-gra-phuuuu!" _Jun sung out jauntily fairly skipping down the entrance to the arcade. "Hahahahaha!"

Tai cursed violently and chased after her.

oOo

"Oooh, this shop is buffet-style!" Jun exclaimed wide-eyed as she spotted the cafeteria-style row filled with fried condiments.

"You order over there," Tai said pointing to the guy behind the counter who bowed his head in welcome to the potential customers. "The different types are on the menu overhead and if you want to add anything to it then you go to the buffet."

"You've eaten here before?" Jun asked as they walked over.

"Never tried this place, but I do keep track of where the good udon shops are," Tai stated.

"Mmm," Jun said eyeing him thoughtfully before ordering. "Two bowls of tsukimi udon, please."

They sat at a table while they waited for their order sipping the hot green tea that came with the meal and Jun began pressing Tai for information.

"So tell me how you and Matt met," she said eagerly. "I know it couldn't have been on the soccer field like with Davis, which I'm never forgiving you for by the way. I still rue the day the little twerp came home with those ridiculous, over-sized useless goggles. I can't be seen anywhere with him without getting stares and _not_ in the good way!"

"Heh," Tai said cracking a half-smile. "It was at summer camp five years ago. That's where we all met and became friends."

"Oh, I bet Matt was so cute back then!" Jun gushed. "I wish I could have seen him!"

"I have pictures. I'll trade you for the monkey-suit one," Tai offered.

Surprisingly, the girl didn't jump at the opportunity as he expected. "I'll think about it," she said.

"Are you sure? There's one with him bare-chested in the hot springs," Tai said with a smirk knowing he was only asking for trouble on his end. Matt had threatened everyone to within an inch of death if that picture ever fell into the hands of the media or fangirls.

Jun choked on her tea and started pounding her chest, her face flushed bright red from both lack of air and excitement.

Fortunately, he was saved by their order being served.

"Hey, this doesn't look half-bad!" Jun exclaimed in surprise momentarily distracted by the bowl of noodles and the perfectly round, yellow egg in the center surrounded by chopped leeks.

"The egg is supposed to represent the harvest moon in autumn and the noodles are the swirling clouds, see?" Tai said pointing with his chopsticks.

"Ah, ah," Jun nodded. "Well…"

"Itadakimasu!" they recited together, clapping their hands in front of them before eating.

"Delicious!" Jun cried after a few mouthfuls. "No wonder Matt loves this!"

Between bouts of slurping his noodles nosily, Tai bit back grin.

oOo

Maybe it was the satisfaction of a full stomach, but somehow the idea of hanging out with Jun at the arcade didn't seem as bad as before. In any case, he didn't try to leave or protest when she dragged him by the arm to visit the various stands and shops along the way. The area where her hands were touching the sleeve of his school jacket was unnaturally hot. They were probably still warm from holding the bowl when she had drunk the broth.

"I want to get Matt the perfect gift! Nothing fancy, just something that shows him I care," Jun stated stopping at a stand displaying sunglasses. "Do you think he would like one of these?"

"Giving gifts is not worth the effort," Tai said irritably. "You spend a lot time picking it out, then they're not appreciated and are taken as insult. For instance, if you give him sunglasses, then Matt might assume that you don't like the color of his eyes and want him to hide them."

"But I love Matt's eyes!" Jun gasped aghast. "His beautiful, ice blue eyes like twin sapphire jewels…"

"Yeah, take it from me, no matter what you give him, he won't like it," Tai stated bluntly.

"Sounds like someone had a bad gift-giving experience," Jun assessed with a raise of her eyebrows.

Tai pursed his lips into a thin line and looked away. He started when a red-tinted film settled over his vision and twin weights were hooked over his ears.

"Don't you look sinister now?" Jun laughed, pulling her hands away from the sunglasses she had just put on him. "Very _yakuza_-ish."

"Dummy, _yakuza_ wear sunglasses like these," Tai said picking up a pair of thick, black wrap-around shades and slipping them onto the girl's nose.

"So very knowledgeable about that, are we?" she said teasingly. A beam of light from the glass-tiled ceiling above had splashed across her face, reflecting off her sunglasses and illuminating the patch of freckles that ran across her cheekbones. "Must be from involvement…"

"Shut up," Tai muttered feeling off-balanced. His eyesight must be distorted from the sunglasses. Nontheless, he did like the way they looked on him from what he could see in the display mirror. "Oi…" he said to the sales-person.

"We'll take these!" he and Jun called out in unison.

oOo

"Last chance on me giving you advice on that girl you like but don't want to admit," Jun said as the day drew to a close and rays of the setting sun fell through the glass roof to the floor below bathing the inside of the arcade in an orange-red glow. "It's not too late to get a present for her."

"The shops are closing," Tai pointed out.

Time had gone by far more quickly than he had realized. He had never liked going shopping with his mom when he was little and the feeling had stayed with him as he got older. Shopping with females was a dangerous and boring thing. However, it had been almost fun with Jun. They had wandered aimlessly about with nothing in particular in mind, pausing to look at something if it caught their interest and buying it on a whim. It had been amusing stumbling across some _Teenage Wolves' _merchandise in one of the music stores. Tai had bought her a tiny figurine of Matt to attach to her cell phone to which Jun had been ecstatic. He had every intention of pointing it out to his friend at school the next day and ribbing him over it. They had slowly accumulated several bags of trinkets including the gift that Jun had finally picked out for Matt once Tai had told her that the blond had lost his watch recently and hadn't replaced it yet. Jun had gone and bought him a sleek, black digital wrist-watch on which you could save multiple time-zones, was water resistant and could glow in the dark.

"_It's so very practical too! I'm going to take it home and gift-wrap beautifully!" _Jun had proclaimed happily.

"Fine, fine," the girl said bringing him back to the present. "Just don't be regretting it tomorrow when you could have given her the gift and confessed your looove!"

Tai sighed. Okay, on some accounts, Jun was still annoying as ever.

"Ooh, a supermarket!" she exclaimed suddenly, stopping in front of the small corner store. "I can get the ingredients for Matt's tsukimi udon here! Hurry, before they close!"

Tai couldn't think up an excuse this time for the familiar heat that ignited under his skin when Jun grabbed him by the wrist and hauled him into the store.

It was dusk by the time they exited the shop and shadows fell everywhere. The arcade was nearly devoid of anyone except a couple of stragglers. Most of the store had already closed and locked up. There wasn't much light except for the overhanging street lamps from the ceiling.

"Guess I'd better go," Tai said, idly chewing on the takoyaki dumplings they had bought as snacks and wondering why he had stayed as long as he had. He could have left after eating the udon. _Oh, the photograph, right,_ he thought in relief. _Thank heavens for blackmail! I'm not losing my mind._

"You should at least walk me back to my moped," Jun said as they walked along. "What if run into some weirdo or perverts—_ow!" _she cried out in alarm she collided with someone, smearing her takoyaki all over the front of his shirt.

"Watch it, girlie!" growled the young man pushing her roughly away to see the damage done. "You better be able to pay for this! This shirt is _silk!"_

"I'm not paying! _You_ bumped into _me!"_ Jun stated heatedly. "If the shops were still open, I'd make you buy me more takoyaki! Try not to trip over your big ox feet next time, you great lumberjack!"

It would have been funny—this mere slip of a girl standing up to such a hulking guy, not all intimidated by his striped mohawk and nose-ring—if he hadn't happened to have two guys of similar appearance and muscle weight on either side of him.

"Someone needs to teach you some respect, you porcupine!" roared Mohawk swinging a tattooed fist at her.

"Jun!" Tai shouted but the girl was already a few seconds of him, ducking the blow and lashing out with her leg knocking the guy's feet right out from under him, sending him prostrate flat on his back on the floor.

"Who are you calling a porcupine, _skunk head?"_ Jun screamed fluffing her spiked-do lovingly. "You wish you had hair as good as mine—_HEY!"_

One of the fallen guy's companions had attempted to grab her from behind unawares, but all he had come away with was one of the numerous bags had been holding.

"_Matt's present_! GIVE IT BACK!" Jun shrieked in outrage recognizing the outline of the parcel inside, leaping at the guy who held it up out of her reach tauntingly, his height far greater than hers.

A chill shot through Tai as he saw a glint of silver in the remaining guy's hands, his attention fixed dangerously on Jun's unsuspecting back.

"Oi!" he yelled drawing the guy's attention his way before smashing his boat of takoyaki into the other's face blinding him suddenly before attempting to disarm him of the lethal object in his right hand.

Unseeing, his adversary lashed out wildly with the knife that Tai barely leapt back in time to avoid. It sliced across the front of his school jacket, severing a button and Tai ended up tripping over the guy with the mohawk on the ground where Jun had laid him out. The wind having been knocked out of him temporarily, the guy seemed to be recovering if the hands that seized him and pinned him down were anything to go by.

"_You punk!"_ was the furious bellow he heard before a heavy fist nailed the side of his face and stars exploded before his eyes.

"What's going on out there?" came a voice from one of the shops nearby and a light flicked on inside.

The pressure holding his wrists loosened unconsciously at this and Tai rammed his knee up into the guy's stomach causing him to double over wheezing. Rolling out from under him, Tai leaped to his feet, his head spinning dizzily and blinked fuzzily through the spots dancing across his vision until he spotted Jun still jumping upwards in an effort to retrieve her bag from its captor who dangled it over her head reminiscent of a human toying with a kitten over a shoelace.

A shrill whistle split the air warning them of the security guards arrival.

There was no more time. Tai ran forward and head-butted the guy in the gut successfully bowling him over backwards and Jun snatched at her bag on his way down.

"Run!" Tai shouted as the stomp of shoes and waving of flashlights grew closer. Together, they struck off in the opposite direction of the sounds, racing through the dimly-lit arcade until they had reached the exit and were greeted with the sight of Jun's moped faithfully waiting. It was a beautiful sight.

"Get on!" Jun ordered, throwing the spare helmet at him. Tai caught it and put it out without objection, taking his seat behind her and wrapping his hands around her waist.

They sped off into the night laughing crazily, releasing their built-up tension and the blood burning in his veins and his heart beating wildly was nothing more than the after-effects of the adrenalin rush he had just had.

oOo

It was with extreme hesitance that Tai crossed over the threshold of the Motomiya residence and entered the apartment.

"I don't know why you couldn't just drop me off at a subway station," he said feeling awkward to be standing in Jun's home.

"And send you off in that state?" Jun said pointing to Tai's bruised cheek and split lip. "You look like an adolescent delinquent who's been brawling! What would people think?"

"What are your parents going to think when they see the boy you brought home then?" Tai asked.

"My parents are up in Osaka visiting relatives. They won't be back for two more days," Jun said

Tai froze. So it would just be him and Jun… in the apartment… alone…

"Get your mind out of the gutter!" Jun screeched, walloping him in the head with her purse adding to his injuries.

"I wasn't thinking of that!" Tai yelled his face red in embarrassment, holding a hand over the lump he could feel growing on his skull.

"Good because _this_ girl belongs to Matt!" Jun declared pointing a thumb proudly at herself. "If you're really that frightened of being with a girl alone you don't have to worry. I have a chaperone. Oi!" she called out marching over to a closed door and pounding on it. "Creep, I'm home. Come say 'welcome back' to your wonderful sister you adore!"

The door was flung open to reveal a scowling Davis. "You don't deserve a 'welcome back' you—_Taichi-sempai!" _he exclaimed shocked catching sight of Tai. "W-w-what are you doing here and what happened to your face?"

"That's none of your business, twerp," Jun said pushing past him and entering his room. "Now where is that First-Aid kit I saw you trying to sneak out the other day?"

"Ah, don't touch my stuff!" Davis shrieked grabbing his duffel bag away from her and holding it protectively to his chest.

Tai had a very good idea of why he didn't want his sister to look through it. DemiVeemon was probably hiding in it. "I don't need any First-Aid. I'll just go," he said backing away.

"Sure go home and let _your_ family see you've been fighting!" Jun said whirling on him.

Behind her, he saw Davis open the duffel to let DemiVeemon hop out and scurry under the bed. Then reaching his hand in, he rummaged around before pulling out a square white box with a red cross on top. "Here," he said sourly, shoving it into his sister's hands.

"Don't be such a brainless klutz every time you play soccer and maybe you wouldn't need to hog this all the time," Jun scolded him. "You come with me," she addressed Tai leading him into the living room. "Sit," she commanded pointing to the couch.

Tai obeyed feeling like a trained dog and Jun sat down next to him and opened up the kit.

"Taichi-sempai, did you really get into a fight?" Davis asked enthusiastically. "I bet you won! I bet you kicked their butts!"

"Go away, you pest," Jun said, dabbing a peroxide-soaked cotton ball on the broken-skin around Tai's mouth.

"Ouch!" Tai yelped as the disinfectant burned and he twisted away from her.

"Stay still so I can clean it properly!" Jun snapped.

"That hurts!"

"You big baby!"

The next thing Tai knew he was sprawled out on his back on the couch due to a strong push and Jun was sitting on top of him rubbing the ointment onto his face that seared something fierce. "Aaaaaargh!" Tai emitted a strangled scream, thrashing his limbs about wildly.

"W-w-what are you two doing?" Davis squeaked out, his eyes growing to the size of marbles. "T-T-Taichi-sempai, don't fall into her trap! She just wants someone to take responsibility for her! You wouldn't like her anyway! She snores really loud and eats pudding with her fingers and she spends money like a drunken sailor!"

"I think it's your bedtime, you little brat!" Jun hissed venomously, climbing off her unfortunate victim and grabbing her brother by the collar of his shirt. Towing him to his room, she tossed him non-too gently inside and pulled the door shut, jamming a broom under the handle effectively sealing him in.

"Sempai? _Sempai!"_ Davis' frantic shouts came from within as he rattled the door handle fruitlessly. "Don't give in, sempai! She's a man-eater! _A man-eater!"_

"God, I wish I was an only-child," Jun sighed wiping her brow despairingly.

Then Tai saw the red stain on her upper abdomen marring the green of her uniform.

"You're bleeding!" he exclaimed in a burst of concern that surprised himself.

"Eh?" Jun said glancing down. "That's not _my_ blood," she stated upon closer inspection before doing a double take at him. "You're as clumsy as the twerp!" she shouted annoyed striding over and taking hold of his hand.

"Ah, what are you—"

"Hush," Jun said turning it palm-side up so they could see the thin slash-mark running diagonally across the skin. "How'd that happen?"

"One of the guys had a knife," Tai admitted. It must have happened when he was wrestling to take it away from the guy before he had tripped over the other. The blood had seeped out from the cut onto her uniform when he had put his hands around her waist while riding on the moped.

"Oh," Jun said paling considerably. "Oh… thank you." The girl was unnaturally silent for several seconds before appearing to regain her usual dauntlessness. "Well, let's get that cleaned up too."

oOo

"Are you sure you have enough to make for Matt?" Tai asked standing at the stove, stirring the steaming udon noodles with his newly-bandaged hand.

"I bought enough for four servings," Jun said as she sliced the leeks. "I wanted to practice a bit before I cooked his. So we can eat these for dinner and I still have enough left over!"

"You weren't in class today. I mean you didn't come… to my class… for lunch," Tai said, stumbling over the words.

"I was busy trying to decide my career choices," Jun said, a shadow passing over face. "I have to write down three options and turn them in to the teacher tomorrow so they can help decide which college would be the best for me to achieve that goal."

"Oh."

"You know, you go to school all your life and think to yourself you can't wait until you don't have to, and then when that day is finally on the horizon, you have absolutely no idea what to do," Jun stated grudgingly. "It's easier for people who have skills. Like you, I can tell you want to be a pro-soccer player and no doubt will. And Matt, of course, is going to be a world-famous rock star one day. But I don't have anything I'm particularly good at."

"I hear you're captain of the cheerleading squad," Tai suggested helpfully remembering Davis had shared with everyone about his sister. "You could go professional on that path."

"It's an enjoyable pastime," Jun said. "But I don't want to be doing that until I'm forty and old. I'll look ridiculous!"

Tai was silent for awhile trying to think of something… then a light bulb went on over his head quite literally as Jun reached above him to switch on the stove light so she could better see the pot to dump the chicken broth, soy sauce, mirin, sugar and salt to the boiling water.

"You do have something you're good at!" he exclaimed. "You love taking pictures of the object of your obsession and constantly stalk him shamelessly. You're confrontational, aren't afraid to fight for what's yours, you talk too fast and are annoying—"

"Hey!"

"You could be a paparazzi!" Tai shouted and Jun paused in mid-swing of whacking him with the cooking ladle.

"T-that is…" the girl stuttered pensively, a smile slowly forming and stretching from ear to ear. "BRILLIANT!" she shrieked exhilarated. "You're a genius! Hahahaha!"

Jun collapsed in a fit of delighted hoots that Tai soon joined in, her happy mood contagious. Laughter rang out throughout the apartment complex only broken by the sound of Davis yelling, _"I'll save you, Taichi-sempai!"_ and familiar battle-shout of "VEE-HEADBUTT!" and the door to the boy's room flying off its hinges.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below:

_Itadakimasu:_ loosely translated "Let's eat!" Used in Japanese society, this phrase is chanted, usually before a meal (like grace) to say "Thank you for the meal."

_Yakuza: _members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan (i.e. the mafia).

_Takoyaki: _fried or grilled octopus dumplings, a wildly popular snack food.

I didn't put the phrases in Japanese, but basically when someone comes home they say, "Taidaima!" (I'm home!) and the response if someone is in the house is to say "Okaeri!" (Welcome back!). So Davis is being rude here.

Okay, first of all, describing all this food is making me hungry for it! I'm going to make tsukimi udon myself, dagnabit! Not so sure where I could get the takoyaki, but I'm pretty sure I can cook the udon.

Second, I freaking _love _this chapter! I am very pleased with it. It's twice as long because I couldn't stop anywhere without seeming unfinished. It's a typical Japanese date scenario, though both Tai and Jun will deny this. If you read any manga, watch any anime/drama the set-up is pretty much: eat food, tease your companion with accessories, buy stuff, run into ruffians and escape. If the audience is really lucky, the two characters get stuck somewhere together like an elevator for hours on end. Endless amusement, hehe.

And I've realized by reviewers' comments now, that it's not so much as I am converting anyone to Junichi. Apparently, my writing style makes people come back and the plot is believable enough for this romance to make sense, thank you!^^

Fun Facts: I listened to "Be Survivor" by ZZ during the whole fight scene. It was very inspiring and helpful. And alright, I admit it, "Jump Then Fall" by Taylor Swift during most of the shopping scenes, however occasionally I switched to "The Land Down Under" for some reason. o.O

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	6. Eternal Darkness Of The Cluttered Mind

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

**Ch.6 Eternal Darkness Of The Cluttered Mind**

Jun was squatting on top of the kitchen counter with a frying skillet gripped in one hand raised above her head.

"W-W-WHAT IS THAT THING?" she screamed pointing at Veemon whose head was lowered and who was pawing his back foot on the floor like a bull about to charge.

"Davis, what were you _thinking?"_ Tai demanded.

"I was saving you, sempai!" Davis proclaimed in his defense. "She'll suck ten years off your life if she kisses you—her last boyfriend said so!"

"What made you think we were kissing!" Tai exclaimed_._

"Davish, what exactly do you mean by 'flatter than a pancake'?" Veemon asked his partner, confused about his instructions.

"_They are not!"_ Jun shrieked offended clutching at her chest before realizing what the blue creature in front of her had just done. "IT TALKED! THE FREAKY DRAGON THING JUST TALKED!"

"Veemon's not freaky! Unlike _some_ sisters!" Davis shot back. "Hurry, sempai, this is your chance to escape while Veemon's got her cornered!"

"I don't need rescuing, Davis!" Tai shouted exasperated.

Everything had been going so well too, and then it had been interrupted…

Tai froze at his train of thought. What had been interrupted exactly?

"W-why aren't you more surprised?" Jun asked directing the question at him noticing he wasn't freaking out at the appearance of a monster in her home. "Y-you knew about this before, didn't you?" The frying skillet raised above her head was shaking in her hands. "What's going on?"

Tai glanced at Davis. The younger boy was shaking his head vehemently not wanting to divulge any information, but Tai squared his shoulders and began explaining anyway. If Davis hadn't wanted his sister to find out about what he did in his spare time, he really shouldn't blown things out of proportion and had his partner break the door down exposing his secret.

And sometime after Tai had finished giving her the short version of what the Digidestined were, Digimon and the Digital World, a faint glimmer of recollection sparked in Jun's eyes.

"Y-You're those kids from five years ago," she breathed softly, her brown eyes wide. "I remember… when those monsters started appearing everywhere in the city and the ghosts held everyone prisoner at the convention center. You disappeared in a rainbow stream up into this upside-down world in the sky."

Tai nodded soundlessly at her.

"You… and Matt…" she said, her voice breaking slightly. "You have monsters like the twerp…"

"_Digimon,"_ Davis corrected acidly.

Tai nodded again.

Jun sat still for several moments in silence taking all this in until at last it seemed the shock had worn off. And instead of firing off accusations at them of why they had kept this from her or nailing Veemon's head in with the skillet, Jun climbed down from the counter and walked past them, a glazed, numb expression splashed across her face for all to see, and locked herself into her room, the frying pan still clenched tightly in her hand.

A long pause followed before Davis spotted unfinished udon simmering on the stove and promptly threw a temper tantrum.

"SON OF A BAKEMON! SHE STOLE MY NOODLE CART IDEA! I'LL SHOW HER! RAMEN WINS OVER UDON ANYDAY, YOU POOR EXCUSE FOR UNABLE TO THINK UP AN ORIGINAL IDEA ON YOUR OWN SISTER!"

Since it looked as if Jun wasn't going to come out anytime soon even to throw back a heated reply and he had absolutely no idea what Davis was ranting about, Tai decided to take his leave of the Motomiya residence and wondered what the bitter sting of disappointment he was feeling meant.

oOo

Matt was leaning against Tai's locker waiting for him the next morning.

"Would you mind explaining what that was yesterday?" he asked with both arms crossed, looking very disgruntled.

"What was what?" Tai said pretending he didn't understand, waiting patiently for him to move out of the way.

Matt didn't budge. "That thing with you getting on Jun's bike and riding off with her."

"It's a moped," Tai corrected. "And it was a just a joke."

"So you're not dating."

"No, now move," Tai said attempting push Matt aside, but the blond stood his ground.

"You don't have to try and hide it if you are," Matt said. "I'd rather you just tell me the truth than lie."

"I am not lying!" Tai shouted, his hackles rising. "Besides, we have bigger things to worry about than whether or not Jun and I are an item. She knows about Digimon now."

"_What!_ You told her—"

"It wasn't me! It was Davis' fault for ordering Veemon to break his door down and attack his sister."

"Why would Davis order Veemon to attack his sister—no wait, that's a stupid question."

"His excuse is that he was trying to rescue me."

"What do you mean… _you were at Jun's apartment last night?"_ Matt exclaimed flabbergasted and the entire conversation of students walking past them ground to halt.

Tai grabbed his friend by the arm and turned their faces away from the crowd of spectators they had gathered. "She only took me there so she could fix me up," he said in a low enough tone that he hoped the on-listeners wouldn't catch, showing off his bandaged hand and split lip.

"Where'd you get those?"

"From some psycho knife-swinging mohawk groupie at the arcade."

"Why were you at the arcade?"

"She drove us there."

"You went to the arcade… with Jun," Matt said slowly.

"Hey, I know what you're thinking, but it doesn't count as a date. I only ate some udon noodles, walked around and shopped a bit with her," Tai stated factually. "Then we ran into some _yakuza_-wannabes, beat them up a bit and made a quick get-away on her bike—ah, moped. You should have seen her in action—Jun, that is, not the moped—she laid this one guy out flat with her legs! She's got great legs. Strong, I mean, not slender and smooth even though they are… what?"

Matt was gazing at him in a mixture of horrified and fascinated disbelief. "My god, you have gone and fallen head over heels for her haven't you?"

"Don't be stupid!" Tai lashed out, shoving his friend out of the way to gain access to his locker.

There was no need to tell him about how he had tripped over Mohawk dude in his defense of Jun then. Matt would just take that literally.

oOo

There was a very good reason why Tai was on the third floor of the school during lunch break looking for Jun among the seniors and it wasn't because he was missing her or worrying about her since she had seemed a little out of it the night before. No, it was because he had to make sure she wouldn't tell anyone about Digimon and the Digital World. Not that he thought anyone would believe her if she did, but there was bound to be more kids who remembered the incident with Myotismon holding practically everyone in the Tokyo region hostage at the convention center. He couldn't risk the chance of anyone else making the connection between the kids who had defeated the monsters back then and their identities today. Matt had enough trouble with popularity and fans as it was. This would just pop the bubble on his already inflated ego.

"Jun Motomiya?" a brown-haired third-year girl echoed when he asked about her. "Oh! You're that junior boyfriend of hers aren't you?"

"Uh, no," Tai tried to clear up. "That's a common misconception—"

"Omigosh, is that Jun's boyfriend? I wanna see!" squealed a curly-haired girl rushing over quickly. "Oh, how cute!"

"Such adorable hair!" cooed a girl with pixie hair-cut joining them. "I just want to touch it!"

And before Tai had realized what happened, he had become the newest fashion accessory for the senior high school girls to play with. Only able to take their cheek-pinching, hair-ruffling, tie-straightening hands and baby-talk for so long, Tai managed to squirm his way out of the female posse that had formed and ask breathlessly if they knew where Jun was.

"She didn't come to school today, honey. But it's so heartwarming to know that her man cares enough to come and see why his love hasn't appeared before him all day!" a pony-tailed girl swooned dreamily.

"I wish my boyfriend was as considerate as you!" sighed the curly-haired girl.

"Motomiya-san has the right idea to date younger guys! The older ones are too conceited!" stated the girl with the pixie hair-cut. "We should all follow her example!"

Tai decided to leave the classroom then before the glowering third-year guys gave in to their baser urges like staple his fingers to a desk or pour glue in his eyes or by far the most heinous crime ever thought up by mankind: shear off his locks of hair with a pair of scissors.

oOo

So Literature class was an interesting experience for once. Usually, Tai would take naps or pretend to take notes while drawing stick-figure manga as the teacher droned on and on about some Shakespearian sonnet or _The Tale of Genji_ or some other Eastern/Western author or story, but this time the lesson actually held his attention. This current semester, they were studying poetry from all around the world and today they were learning about haikus.

Three line poetry with a syllable order of 5-7-5? God, why hadn't they taught this easy stuff back in primary school? He would have gotten an 'A' for sure back then and those cool Megaman sneakers his mom had promised as a reward for good grades. Instead he had received a 'B-' and he had been banned from playing soccer for an entire month.

Okay, so apparently, he had muttered all that under his breath unknowingly and Sora had heard it and reminded him they _had _been taught haikus back in primary school but he had been playing his GameBoy on mute under his desk so he had missed out on that lesson.

Well, that certainly sucked finding out. Curse Mario and his magic mushrooms! Curse them! He could have been a mad genius poet by now selling his haikus for millions and millions of yen, that's how easy and natural this stuff flowed to him.

_She can fight weirdos_  
_But freaks at a Digimon_  
_Unbelievable._

_This school is insane_  
_Thinking we are a couple_  
_I do not like her._

_Mopeds are awesome_  
_I'm totally getting one_  
_Screw Mazdas. So lame._

So he had decided to go see how Jun was doing as soon as school let out, but a bit of a knot got tangled up in his plans.

Because he might have kinda gotten sent to have a nice little chat with the principal.

After ripping his sheet of haikus out of the Literature teacher's hands and threatening to kick his ass six ways to Sunday.

But really the snoopy bastard shouldn't have started to read them to the class out loud.

oOo

_Conversation between Tai and Izzy via D-Terminals:_

**Heard you were disrespectful to Takashi-sensei today.**

**-Izzy**

**Idiot teacher**  
**Should not be allowed to teach**  
**Wise students. Dumb jerk.**

**-Tai**

**What's your punishment, Master Haiku Artist?**

**-Izzy**

**Big man on campus**  
**Give me task of trash-cleaning**  
**Second floor classrooms.  
**

**-Tai**

**Ouch. Sorry ;^; At least it's not the entire building right? For how long?**

**-Izzy**

**Starting as of now**  
**Until the New Year rolls in**  
**This is all her fault.**

**-Tai**

**Her? Are you talking about Jun? Matt said you went on a date with her yesterday^w^**

**-Izzy**

**IT WAS NOT A DATE**  
**PRETTY BOY BLOND ROCK STAR LIES**  
**IT WAS NOT A DATE! DX**

**-Tai**

**I don't think the haiku counts if the last line is the same as the first^^;;**

**-Izzy**

**I'M THE HAIKU GOD**  
**BOW BEFORE THE WONDER OF**  
**MY DIVINE POETRY.**

**-Tai**

**So was yesterday just a one-time thing or are you planning to make the relationship permanent? :D**

**-Izzy**

**HAIKU GOD WILL COME**  
**TO YOUR HOME TOMORROW AND**  
**DESTROY GEEK'S LAPTOP.**

**-Tai**

**XD Alright, inferior mortal is sorry he offended the Great Haiku God. I just got an update from Yolei. The younger kids ran into a familiar face today in the Digital World while rebuilding Digimon villages. **

**-Izzy**

**:o ?**

**-Tai**

**Ken's back.**

**-Izzy**

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Oh dear, do I sense _plot?_ In a _romance_ fic? Le gasp! What's wrong with Jun? Is Tai actually missing her? And… how awesome are Tai's haikus? XD Yeah, you're a god alright, buddy, God of Bad Poetry perhaps. I should have a little _Tai's Haiku Corner_ at the end of every chapter and have him spill his reflections. That should be very fun^^ Muwahahahaha!

Fun Facts: yes, I get my Japanese school information from watching anime/dramas and reading manga^^;; But I do look things up if I'm not certain about it. Like here, I was going to have the Lit teacher give Tai detention, then I realized I had never seen any student in a Japanese show/book receive detention, so I googled Japanese school punishments up. It depends on which school you go to again, but apparently there's a discipline teacher who whacks misbehaving students with a cane as corporal punishment. However, mostly, the student gets a sound chewing out by the teachers and principals and parents and this is effective enough for them never to act out again in class in the same manner as before. It's like verbal abuse making them feel guilty for their transgressions. Whoa. o.O

Just to let everyone know, I made tsukimi udon for me and my friends from scratch. Followed a recipe I found online and went looking for ingredients. I thought I would have a hard time finding the mirin (rice wine), but the thing that gave me the most trouble was the udon noodles. I went to five different grocery shops before I found them and I was so happy I bought two packages. Cooked it twice now. The first time didn't go so well as I had no idea what I was doing and the noodles were a bit undercooked and sticking together and I forgot to cook the vegetables in the broth so they were crunchy and the egg was more raw than I would have liked. But the second time I cooked this… OMG, DELICIOUS! NEW FAVORITE SOUP! You guys have got to try this out sometime. X3

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	7. All The World's A Stage

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

**Ch. 7 All The World's A Stage**

Jun didn't arrive for school the next day either but being a Saturday and a half-day her absence was hardly noticeable.

Really.

"Try these manju dumplings," urged a fellow third-year classmate of Jun's. "They'll make you feel better."

"I know it's not onigara-yaki, but we can't all cook with such passionate love as Motomiya-san!" declared another female seated on Tai's right holding her chopsticks with an octopus-shaped sausage wedged between them out to him.

"Er…" Tai said sweat-dropping and fidgeting nervously where he sat at his desk, uncomfortable at being surrounded by a large circle of senior high school girls who had taken it upon themselves to traverse the lower grades during their ten-minute break to inform him of his girlfriend's absence and also feed him condolence _bentos _for some reason_._ Getting cornered by members of the opposite gender was Matt's foray not his.

"I don't think he feels right eating another girl's bento while Motomiya-san is away," whispered a girl into the ear of the girl trying to shove the octopus-sausage down his throat.

"Such unwavering devotion! That is a beautiful thing! I admire that in man!" sniffled a curly-haired girl wiping away a tear.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" exclaimed the girl embarrassed, putting her chopsticks with the octopus-sausage down. "I understand. My cooking probably isn't as good as what you're used to. I mean it can't compare to your Jun-san's or your mother's certainly—"

"Oh, I'm sure anything you guys have cooked is _definitely _better than my mom's," Tai was quick to interject without thinking.

He was immediately swamped by squealing third-year girls and practically buried underneath the avalanche of arms they flung about him.

"This little kouhai is precious!"

"He's so innocently honest!"

"I love his fluffy hair!"

As Tai struggled to surface from beneath the mass of bodies for air, he managed to catch the on-looking eyes of several of his male classmates.

"Dude, teach us your power, Taichi-sensei!" one breathed in a slightly-envious tone, wide-eyed in awe.

Standing at the back of the classroom, forgotten for once, Matt shook his head at the scene. "Un-be-liev-able."

oOo

Being a half-day meant that there wasn't much trash to clean up in the second-floor classrooms, however it did put him behind an hour meaning he was late for soccer practice that was usually scheduled right after school let out and got pounced on by an angry coach the minute he stepped foot on the field. He received a sound chewing out and then had to explain the reason for his tardiness, which consequently resulted in another lecture after the coach learned there would be more tardiness in the future compliments of his Don't-Disrespect-Idiot-Teachers-Even-If-They-Try-And-Steal-Your-Awesome-Haikus punishment.

If he hadn't been one of the soccer team's key players, Tai supposed he would have gotten benched for the season. As it was, he was the number one striker and the coach was desperate enough to win the fall tournament that year to overlook this small transgression and move the team's practice time down one hour to match his cleaning schedule so he wouldn't miss anything.

Even this generous act bordering on favoritism didn't so much to alleviate the brooding mood he seemed to have fallen into and it showed in his playing. He missed eight out of ten goals, couldn't pass the ball and kept kicking it out into the sidelines and tripped flat on his face two times in a row.

In the end, the coach roared like an enraged boar who had just been skewered, gave him a mighty cuff across the head and warned him to get his act together by the next practice or else and also _"WHAT IN THE SEVEN HELLS IS YOUR PROBLEM?"_

"Girl-troubles," spoke up a teammate helpfully, having been a witness to the scene in the classroom earlier that day.

"THAT'S PATHETIC, KAMIYA!" the coach bellowed his face flushing an angry red. "ON THIS FIELD NOTHING EXISTS BUT THE BALL! _SHE_ IS YOUR LADY FROM NOW ON AND YOU WILL TREAT HER ACCORDINGLY LIKE ANY OTHER WOMAN! WITH A SWIFT KICK IN THE BUSTLE TO GET HER MOVING IN THE DIRECTION WHERE YOU WANT HER TO GO, UNDERSTAND?"

"Wait, if we're supposed to treat the ball like a woman, I don't feel right passing her around to other guys then," joked Sano, the team comedian, inciting a wave of guffaws and snorts from his teammates.

"THIS IS NO JOKING MATTER, YOU BUMBLING IDIOTS!" the coach exploded. "IT'S THIS KIND OF LACKLUSTER ATTITUDE WHICH WILL LOSE US FIRST PLACE AS ALWAYS! I WANT NO MORE DISTRACTIONS FOR THIS TEAM! I WANT YOU FOCUSED ON SOCCER SO HARD YOU START SEEING IN BLACK AND WHITE!"

So yeah, this day: not one of Tai's best. He was worried, stressed out, tired and was headed home still wearing his soccer uniform, not bothering to change not wanting to spend another minute than necessary near the coach in case the guy burst an artery or something.

That's when he ran into Sora headed the same way, tennis racket in one hand, duffel bag slung over one shoulder and her tennis uniform clinging to her skin due to a fresh sheen of sweat from playing hours under the sun.

The two stared at each other in surprise for a few seconds before smiles slowly crept across their faces.

"Good practice?" Tai asked falling into step beside her.

"Not my best but it was fun workout," Sora said twirling her tennis racket absent-minded in one hand. "You?"

"I'm thinking of taking up skydiving instead. It might be safer," Tai stated.

Sora laughed. "You've just been under a lot of strain, that's all. What with Jun and—"

"Can we not talk about Jun for once?" Tai said wincing slightly.

"Sorry," Sora said pausing for a long interval before speaking. "It's just that Matt said she knows about Digimon now."

"Boy, news sure travels fast around here," Tai muttered.

"I'm a little worried about what she will do," Sora admitted.

"What _can_ she do?" Tai shrugged looking up at the blue, cloudless sky. "No one would believe her anyway."

"But she lives under the same roof as Davis," Sora pointed out. "She might get footage of DemiVeemon and sell it to the media or use it to blackmail Matt into obeying her every whim…"

"She wouldn't do that," Tai protested feeling unnaturally angry.

"How can you be sure?" Sora said.

"She just wouldn't, okay?" Tai said recalling Jun's glazed, numb expression imprinted across her face like she was in shock… or betrayed.

He saw Sora shooting sideway glances at him from the corner of her eye as they walked along. "I suppose you would deny it if I asked if you like her," the girl stated.

"If you mean 'like' in the platonic sense then I will say that once you get used to her overwhelming enthusiasm and firm resolution on things that she is not all that bad," Tai admitted. "A little crazy but who isn't? But if you're asking me if I like her-like her…"

"Alright," Sora sighed seeing that he wasn't going to finish his sentence and be any clearer on the subject. "But for a person who doesn't feel that way you sure do spend a lot of time around her. Lunches, moped rides, shopping at the arcade, house calls—"

"Do you _really _want to continue this conversation?" Tai asked stopping in place on the sidewalk.

"No."

"Good, 'cause I like to eat my meals without indigestion," Tai said going into the front entrance of a McDonald's.

Sora followed him inside and he ignored her presence behind him in line, but when his turn came he ordered two servings of burgers and fries.

"Thanks," Sora said as they took their trays to a table and sat down. "You didn't have though."

"Che, what do you mean? I'm eating _both_," Tai scoffed, making a pretend swipe at her burger.

Sora shrieked and swatted his hand away. "Greedy!" she chided. "You'll make yourself fat!"

"Shouldn't you be the one who's worried about that?" Tai asked sipping his soda.

"Not that way the coach runs us ragged. I've burned more calories than I've ingested," Sora said.

"I know exactly how you feel," Tai said joining her in a perfectly synchronized hearty bite into their burgers.

"So what do you think about Ken showing up again?" Sora questioned. "Do you think he's really changed?"

"Kari asked me the same thing last night," Tai said remembering.

oOo

"_I don't know what to think," Kari said sitting morosely on her bed hugging a pillow to her chest. "He saved Cody, but he destroyed that Digimon."_

"_We've destroyed Digimon before, don't forget," Tai reminded her gently. "_All_ of us. Sometimes… it's necessary."_

"_But they were evil!" Kari exclaimed pain flashing in her brown eyes as she looked at him for answers. "They were hurting innocent Digimon! They had to be destroyed!"_

"_Was the Digimon Ken destroyed causing harm then?"_

"_I… don't know," Kari admitted reluctantly. "I think Cody and Digmon just surprised Thundermon and he attacked out of reflex. I don't think he was bad—but Ken destroyed him before we could do anything!"_

oOo_  
_

"She seemed really tore up about it," Tai said, a small frown-line appearing on his forehead. "They went back to the Digital World today. Maybe they'll run across Ken again and then we'll find out."

"Oh, Mimi's there too right now!" Sora said. "She wanted to catch up with Palmon and help with the rebuilding YukimiBotamon's village. I'll call her when I get home and see how things went."

"You seem really happy that she came back to Japan this year," Tai stated.

"Well, she was one of my first friends that was a girl I ever made," Sora laughed. "And one that wasn't a part of the soccer team. Mom was thrilled! She says she's been a good influence on me."

"Maybe _too _good of an influence," Tai muttered, biting down on the end of his straw irritably. Over the years Sora's wardrobe had slowly evolved from t-shirts and jeans to short shorts and skirts and she even had begun wearing make-up and jewelry that she had claimed she so despised. He wasn't sure he liked the change.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing," Tai said quickly, backing off under her glare. Then he did a double take when he noticed the tiny, white heart-shaped barrettes on either side of her head holding her hair in place. _"What_ are those?" he pointed, a long-time faded anger rising within.

"They're called barrettes, you ignoramus of a boy," Sora replied testily. "They help keep my hair from falling into my face when I play tennis."

"Where'd you get them?" Tai pressed inquisitively.

"From Mimi, why do you want to know?"

"No reason… I just sort of got the impression you thought hair clips more evil than Myotismon and the Dark Masters put together."

"Do you _really_ want to continue this line of conversation?"

"No."

The afternoon meal had suddenly turned sour. They sat in silence at their table not meeting each others eyes, chewing food like robotic cows, and the tension in the air was so thick you could have cut it with a knife.

Then it dispersed like grains of sand upon the wind as a head of familiar spiked hair strolled past the glass window behind Sora and Tai choked on his soda causing the fizzy bubbles to shoot up his nostrils and burn the insides.

He was dimly aware of Sora having risen out of her seat and pounding his back perhaps a bit _too _hard as he hacked his lungs painfully for air. "Are you alright? What happened?" she asked.

Tai all but leaped up and pushed her aside. "I gotta go!" he gasped hoarsely, grabbing his duffel from the floor and making a mad dash for the door.

He burst into the bright sunlight of the outside and frantically scoured the sidewalks for any sign of Jun. A flash of chestnut-colored hair caught his eye to his left and he struck off into the crowd, jostling and fighting his way through until he reached the back of the person he was searching for and clamped a firm hand down on her shoulder.

It had occurred to him in that instant that he might not have seen Jun after all, merely someone else with a similar hair-cut, however the next split second in which the girl spun around and punched him squarely in the stomach with a rock-hard fist sending him down on the gravel to his knees wheezing proved her identity. Yep, he definitely had the right person.

"You!" Jun's voice shouted in surprise from above his head. "What were you thinking? You don't go around grabbing girls in public like that! Some are likely to know self-defense!"

Tai staggered to his feet, rubbing his sore stomach. "Where have you been these past two days?" he inquired.

"Oh, did Matt notice my absence?" Jun asked looking pleased. "Good. It's about time he stopped taking me for granted. Well, don't tell him, but I've been trying to research as much information as possible about that incident five years ago. You know, there's a suspicious lack of evidence available and people seem to think the convention center was bombed by terrorists who held everyone captive there. I'm guessing some of your little monster friends have the ability to tamper with memories?"

Tai did recall Gennai saying something like that but the recollection was rather vague. Maybe his own mind had been affected. In any case, he was startled by the cool wave of relief he felt sweep over him when he saw the girl no longer was wearing that horrible glazed expression the last time he had saw her. Her brown eyes were clear and brimming with a fierce determination signifying she was scheming something yet again.

"Tell me how to get one," Jun said abruptly.

"What?"

"One of your monsters, _Digimon_, whatever. Tell me how I get one," Jun demanded impatiently.

Tai felt a chill travel down his back upon discovering Jun's newest goal. "You can't," he stated directly, hoping she would give up this futile quest. "You have to be chosen."

"Fine, fine. I choose them, they choose me—I'm flexible. Tell me how I can get to this Digital World then so they can find me," Jun insisted.

"You don't understand!" Tai exclaimed frustrated. "Not just anyone can go to the Digital World! You have to be a Digidestined! You need to have one of these!" he said showing her his digivice.

"Okay, let me borrow yours then."

"These give a ride there one passenger per ticket! It's not a two-for-one deal!" Tai snapped stuffing his digivice back in his pocket. "Why do you want a Digimon anyway?"

"I want to become one of you guys!" Jun burst out. "I want to travel by Matt's side fighting evil and curing the world of injustice! This will strengthen our love and seal our bond!"

"This isn't some kind of wild hobby we do on a whim!" Tai shouted disgusted at the logic behind Jun's reason. "We're not adventure-seekers and we don't do this for fun! Digimon are not pets you can buy one day and then abandon later! They're sentient beings with real feelings and to use them for your own purposes is wrong and makes you no better than the dark forces we have fought against!"

"Oh, so what are you saying? That I'm some sort of villain now?" Jun cried offended. "Fine! Keep your precious monsters all to yourself! You think you're someone special because you have one? You think it makes you a better person? Well, you're not! _You're no different than the rest of us! None of you!"_

With a scream of rage, the girl shoved him hard in the chest, slamming him into the back of a telephone booth before she took off running.

Tai leaned against the booth, his chest tight and his spine throbbing and tried to convince himself he hadn't seen the water that had been welling up in Jun's eyes as she had sped past him.

oOo

Saturday had been quite the lousy day and Sunday fared no better. He had been so utterly bored, he had actually finished all the homework assigned and then proceeded to lounge on the couch staring at the tv like a zombie as he flipped through channels without pausing long enough to see what was on them until his mother flung a dish towel at his head and shrieked that the tv was rotting his brain and to get some fresh air before she had him give the bathroom a vigorous scrubbing.

The threat got Tai's feet moving and he wandered aimlessly about for a couple of hours before finally crashing at Izzy's who was surprise, surprise currently engaged in yet another task on his computer.

"Are you having an affair with your laptop, Izzy?" Tai asked resting his hands behind his head as he lay sprawled out on the floor of his friend's bedroom.

"Haha, very funny," Izzy retorted. "I'll have you know I'm writing a program for web scripting and at least I'm doing something constructive with my time unlike _some_ people."

"I can't concentrate," Tai admitted turning on his side. "Kari told me last night that it turned out the Digimon Ken had destroyed the other day was really a control spire in disguise. She said Davis wanted Ken to join their group but she wasn't sure at first. Now I think she's more favorable to the idea."

"And that's a bad thing?" Izzy asked.

"No, everyone deserves a second chance," Tai said remembering how Gatomon had once been on Myotismon's side and how Matt had caused a divide between the Digidestined when he had questioned their purpose in the Digital World instigated a fight with him. "I'm worried because Kari seems to have forgotten that as Digidestined we can't afford to hold back because we might hurt other Digimon. Some… are too evil to exist," he whispered, an image of Diaboromon flashing through his mind.

"Maybe having Ken on their team will broaden their outlook then," Izzy said. "Anyway, that was a disturbingly, deep psychological insight for you, Tai. Do you have a fever or something?"

"See what happens when I'm bored?" Tai moaned. "My mind uses up spare brain cells for useless psychoanalysis! That means my video game high score will take a dip next time I play! Agh, come on, let's do something fun! Show me how you hack into a government or military website."

"You know I'm allowed to do that anymore, Tai," Izzy protested. "Mom says it corrupts good morals and that the only exception is when a crisis needed to be adverted."

"This is a crisis! _I'm boooored!"_ Tai drawled out pouting.

"A national or global crisis, Tai," Izzy corrected rolling his eyes.

"Izzy!" Mrs. Izumi's voice floated shrilly through her son's closed door as she knocked on it. "Are you hacking into top secret websites again?"

"No, Mom!" Izzy called clicking the 'x' button on several pages on the screen in a frenzied fashion.

"You bold-faced liar," Tai jeered.

"Oh, go and hang out with your girlfriend!" Izzy snapped.

oOo

So Sunday morning: not so good. Sunday evening: not so well either. It might have been due to the fact when Kari broke the news that Davis and Ken's Digimon had DNA-Digivolved, something that Tai thought was only unique to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. He was fine with that though. Two champions merging into one apparently made them a higher-level and it would be safer for the younger kids to have some Ultimate power on their team. He totally wasn't envious in the least, nope.

And he totally didn't call the Motomiya residence in hopes that Jun would pick up the phone and was disappointed when Davis answered instead, yep.

"Taichi-sempai, it was awesome! You should have seen it! Paildramon is-is-is… THE MON!" Davis gushed excitedly. "He was like '_Desperado Blaster'! _KA-POW-POW-POW! And Okuwamon was like 'no wai!' KAPUTEY! Heeheehee! This is great! Now that Ken is on our team we'll be unbeatable! Of course, he's being stubborn and emo about joining, but he'll come around! This was meant to be! This is our _destiny!"_

It occurred to Tai when he hung up that Davis hadn't once whined or wheedled him about talking to Kari or pressed him for information on how she felt for him, and every other word out of the boy's mouth had been 'Ken' this or 'Ken' that.

Tai wondered if he should be concerned. Then he shrugged and turned himself in for the night early certain that Monday would bring the start of a fresh new week.

He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up.

His mother knocked on his door scant seconds after he had burrowed himself a nice little nest in his covers and was starting to doze off.

"Mmurfflgh," he mumbled as the lights flicked on overhead. "Wassit?" he rasped as he sat up groggily.

"You have a _phone call!_" his mother squealed handing him the cordless before leaving in a batch of suppressed giggles mumbling something like "My son is so popular with the ladies, teehee!"

Tai blamed it on the fogginess one experiences upon first waking up for what he did next. "Jun?" he said into the receiver before the other had a chance to speak.

"Are you seriously not dating her?" Sora's voice crackled dryly over the line.

Tai was too mortified to even think up a clever explanation.

"Never mind. What you do in your free time is none of my business," Sora said brushing the incident aside. "I just want to know: is Matt's favorite color green or blue?"

"… what?" Tai asked not sure he had heard right.

"I mean I've seen him wear green a lot, but then his Crest color was blue plus it will match his eyes, so I was wondering if you knew which color he would like better," Sora said rushing through the sentence as if embarrassed.

"Umm… he seems to wear black a lot now," Tai finally regained control of his vocal cords to talk.

"Don't act stupid, Tai!" Sora said warningly. "I really need another guy's advice. I bought him a watch after you ran off who knows where today and—"

"What? You did _what?"_ Tai exclaimed. "Why would you _do _that?"

"I noticed he lost his watch. I thought he could use another one," Sora explained. "So he won't be late to his band rehearsals and appointments."

"He has a cell phone! It tells time!" Tai exploded. "And what about the digivices? They have inbuilt clocks too! He can use the freaking digivice!"

"What is your problem?" Sora questioned annoyance laced thickly throughout her tone. "The wristband is detachable and it can become a pocket-watch. I just wanted to know if I should keep the green wristband or return it to the store and replace it with the blue one, but now I think I'll buy both colors because it seems to me that men are completely incapable of making any coherent decisions on their own!"

The sound of the phone being slammed down on its receiver vibrated harshly off the inside of his ear.

So now both Jun _and_ Sora were presenting Matt with a watch and were liable to run across each other's paths the next day. Jun would get the wrong impression and a blood bath would ensue.

Wonderful.

Tai spent a good several minutes banging his head against his bedpost. As it had often had come to him before this way, a brilliant idea jumped into his bruised brain.

"KARI!" he screamed springing out of bed and running out of his room to his sister's. "I NEED TO BORROW A WATCH!"

oOo

Tai's attempt to fix an already fragile situation went something like this:

I Hope Sanrio Co. Goes Up In A Fire So Intense It Puts the Flames Of Hell To Shame

By: Taichi Kamiya

CAST

Taichi Kamiya, Odaiba High School junior.  
Matt Ishida, Odaiba High School junior.  
Sora Takenouchi, Odaiba High School junior.  
Jun Motomiya, Odaiba High School senior.  
Random Students, Odaiba High School juniors.  
WarGreymon, Mega Digimon.

SCENE—At Odaiba High School in the shoe locker room, first floor.

Act I, Scene I

[At lockers. MATT is putting on school slippers. Enter TAI.]

TAI: Hey, my best bud, Matt! I thought I'd get you a present to show how much I value our friendship together!

[Holds out newspaper-wrapped, lumpy package taped badly.]

MATT: [Eyes package with two finely-plucked raised eyebrows.] I'm loathe to give anything in return for accepting a bribe like that.

TAT: [Spots JUN coming down the hallway behind MATT towards them a gift bag clutched in both hands. Starts to hyperventilate and sweat. Offers package again.] Why don't you open it now?

MATT: [Looking over TAI's shoulder.] Is that Sora? [Waves.]

TAI: [Glances behind him. Sees SORA advancing with a box encased in wrapping paper in her hands. In nervous voice.] You know why don't I just open it for you? [Rips newspaper-wrapped package.]

MATT: [Gaping openly.] It's a watch.

TAI: [Fake cheery grin.] Yeah, I noticed you lost yours so I got you a replacement! Aren't I such a good friend? Now put it on!

MATT: [Still gaping.] It's a Hello Kitty watch…

TAI: [Inwardly cursing his sister for not having better manly watch options.] It's the thought that counts! Here, give me your hand. [Grabs MATT by wrist.]

MATT: [Shrieks high-pitched.] I AM NOT WEARING A GIRL'S WATCH!

[Wrestles with TAI trying to free himself from TAI's Super Awesome Strong Death Grip.]

TAI: [In hysterical, desperate voice.] IT'S FOR MY OWN GOOD! I MEAN _YOUR _OWN GOOD! PUT ON THE DAMN WATCH!

[TAI yanks MATT's sleeve back to expose shiny, new crystal-face, blue dial titanium silver watch fitted snugly to his wrist.]

TAI and MATT: [Shares long awkward moment staring at it.]

MATT: [In eerily, calm voice.] Dad bought me a watch over the weekend. He noticed I lost mine too.

SORA and JUN: [Arrive in front of the two boys at precisely the same time and eye each other's packages with suspicious eyes.]

JUN: What's in the box, Takenouchi?

SORA: What's in the bag, Motomiya?

[Proceeds to share intense dagger-like glares at each other before turning and seeing TAI still holding MATT's wrist captive with his Super Awesome Strong Death Grip in one hand and the Hello Kitty watch dangling from the other. MATT's new titanium watch glints most conspicuously under the lights.]

MATT: [Slowly comprehends the hazardous situation he is in. Begins to fear for his life.] I think I have enough watches, guys, thanks though.

TAI: Right, cool, that's great, really. [Releases MATT's wrist from Super Awesome Strong Death Grip and flings open his locker door to throw the unneeded Hello Kitty watch inside.]

MATT: [Emits blood-curdling scream of pain as his fingers are trapped behind TAI's locker door. Resembles something like:] AAAAUUUUGHSUNUVABISHRAAAWWRR !

SORA and JUN: [In concerned unison.] MATT!

[Starts to rush forward before turning attention to potential rival and begin circling each other like wild mountain lions growling low in their throats, painted sharp fingernails at the ready.]

TAI: [Apologetically.] Dude, I am so sorry, Matt! [Extends helping hand.]

MATT: [Irrationally loses it.] GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME! [Slaps TAI's hand away and staggers off down the hallway holding injured fingers to his chest protectively.]

SORA and JUN: [Drops their packages and leap at the other. Engages in vicious cat-fight complete with hair-pulling and eye-scratching.]

Scene II

[The next day. Odaiba High School. Second floor, Classroom 2-B. Students gathered in cluster reading newspaper.]

RANDOM STUDENT #1: [Reading Entertainment section out loud.] _The Teenage Wolves_ regret to inform public that they will not be performing their scheduled concert this week due to injuries sustained to lead vocalist and guitarist, Matt Ishida. An extended leave of absence from their media spotlight has been planned while Ishida recuperates from a violently sprained hand received during a school scuffle.

RANDOM STUDENT #2: I never would have taken Ishida-san for the rough type.

RANDOM STUDENT #3: I saw the whole thing! Ishida had Motomiya, Takenouchi _and _Kamiya all fighting over him!

[Excited squeals break out amongst female students at the last part.]

RANDOM STUDENT #2: OMIGOSH, REALLY? So it's not a love triangle anymore—now it's like a love…square?

[Everyone turns to look at TAI, MATT, and SORA seated at their respective desks resolutely not meeting each other's eyes.]

RANDOM STUDENT #1: Let's take bets on who'll win Ishida-san's heart in the end!

[Wild cheers break out at this announcement.]

WARGREYMON: [Crashes through window and Terra Forces everyone to black, ashen cinders including MATT and SORA and JUN because MATT is an egotistical blond bigot who refuses to hear TAI's explanations and SORA and JUN for causing the whole mess in the first place buying the stupid watches. But TAI survives because TAI is incredible and WARGREYMON's partner and they effing ROCK so there!]

The End

oOo

"You're getting an 'A' in Literature!" Yuuko Kamiya exclaimed delightedly at her son's interim report before reading Takashi-sensei's remarks out loud. _"'Taichi has a hidden writer's talent just waiting to blossom full bloom and a vivid imagination. I loved the last piece he turned in to me. Keep up the good work!'"_

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

_Tick-tock goes the clock_  
_I understand now why Hook_  
_Hated this foul thing._

_Good deeds are frowned on_  
_Society shoots you down_  
_It isn't my fault!_

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below:

_Kouhai:_ lowerclass student. Opposite to_ Sempai:_ upperclass student. _Kouha_i can also mean protege while _sempai_ can mean mentor. I think it's adorable that Davis calls Tai sempai in the original Japanese and he's the only one of the Digidestined he addresses with that title! He probably started using it when he and Tai were on the same soccer team and Tai coached him, then it extended when he became a part of the Digidestined. But I digress, sorry! Here, the senior girls are calling Tai kouhai because he's a year and grade younger than them, not that he's their protege.

Wow, this got longer than I thought it would take. Sorry for the wait between updates. It's been a hectic few weeks. In any case, I hope this more than made up for the delay! And I hope it is clearer on where the story is on the 02 time-line now.

Tai is becoming more artistically creative every chapter I type! He's so much fun to write! XD Ah, poor Jun. She wants to be a Digidestined too! About the whole lack of evidence, I shall quote **Nashara **(thanks for informing me about this): I don't think any persons memory was messed with but Gennai mentioned that he and the others like him were trying to erase government data and such. Apparently there were factions trying to explain what happened and hoping to go to Digi World to research or explore and such. So Gennai and the others would have found the physical evidence (like video and such) and removed it. Think of it like Gennai making a government cover up of sorts.

Fun Facts: this chapter's title is a shortened version of a quote from William Shakespeare. _"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players". _I thought it fitting for Tai's masterpiece at the end, muwahaha!^^ And if you're wondering about Tai's play title, Sanrio is the company that owns Hello Kitty, so no wonder he's mad at them. Actually, he's infuriated at watch-makers in general, but Sanrio is a familiar name so he focuses his anger towards them. Also, this fic is surprisingly becoming the most popular out of all my digifics. Soon it shall surpass **The Alternative Factor** and **Reboot**! o.O I guess comedy romance sells better than action/adventure. That's sort of sad considering Digimon is an adventure series, but I won't deny I'm ecstatic about my stats!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	8. Elementary, My Dear Jun

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

**Ch. 8 Elementary, My Dear Jun**

Logical question:

All humans make mistakes.

Tai is a human.

Therefore, we can conclude…

{1}-Tai's friends should forgive him for any grievance, injury, or embarrassment he may have caused them even though he was only trying to help.

{2}-Matt should stop being a giant douche in giving him the silent treatment because he is not a hormonal pregnant woman for Gennai's sake!

{3}-Sora and Jun should just get all that hateful tension they have towards each other out by mud-wrestling. In bikinis. And since they're holding Tai responsible for not being able to give Matt their gifts, they should drag him into the mud-fight with them.

"When I said make up your own logical premise for extra credit, I didn't mean that I wanted to read an episode of your soap opera-ish life or pubescent fantasy, Mr. Kamiya," the Logic teacher drawled waving his graded test in front of him. "Save your creative writing for Literature class next time."

oOo

Tai soon found out that having the majority of the entire Odaiba High School female student body set against him was a truly harrowing ordeal. Apparently, they didn't much like the fact that he had essentially "maimed" (according to their accusations) their favorite rock star idol and put him out of commission from his concerts for a couple of weeks. If you asked Tai though, he was of the idea that Matt was milking the sympathy and his injury for all it was worth. His hand couldn't possibly have been sprained badly enough to not be able to use it for longer than two days at least. Matt had girls dutifully taking notes and writing in-class essays as he dictated for them. He claimed he was unable to engage in volleyball during P.E. because his "motor skills had been temporarily damaged". Personally, Tai thought he had just chickened out because he was afraid of getting whacked in the face due to his poor physique and lack of athletic talent, breaking his nose and marring his complexion. (Matt took way too much pride in his appearance).

The only girls that _didn't _want to string him up by his tie were Jun's fellow classmates who, after the Infamous Watch Incident, took his side and claimed that they too, "would maim the person who was trying to steal their love away from them" and how "Motomiya-san doesn't know a good thing when she has it!" and "Ishida-san has good looks but Taichi-kun has heart!".

As for Sora and Jun, neither of them was speaking to him. This was hardly surprising for Sora—he had often been victim to this sort of behavior on her end before over some trivial thing. Half the time, he hadn't even been sure what he had done wrong to rattle her. Hey, it wasn't like he had _asked _her to jump Jun and make a complete fool of herself! She would come around and forgive him on her own terms in her own time. Jun, on the other hand, didn't seem like the type of girl to ignore someone no matter how mad she was at them. He was sure she was going to call him the day after the fiasco to formulate another plan of attack on snagging the objection of her affection, but he had hardly seen or heard hide or hair of her since that day.

Not that he cared or anything.

It was a relief to have some peace from her nagging presence for once.

He totally was _not _missing her.

And if it appeared like he was, it was only because his friend list had been cut down to half its size and he was just desperate for someone to talk to.

What he needed was to share his troubles with someone who didn't go to his chaotic school and therefore would be an uninterested, neutral party he could just chill out and relax with.

So Izzy and Mimi were out because they also attended Odaiba Insane Asylum. Izzy never discarded the chance to make quips about his "girlfriend" and Mimi was Sora's best friend so he could already pretty much guess whose side she would be on.

The younger Digidestined were out of the question also because if they weren't at school, they were always in the Digital World and didn't come back until dark where they finished up their homework before finally sleeping at the end of a long, long day. They were too busy and too young to fully understand the finer and more complicated dynamics of teenage relationships.

Someone closer to his age so they could relate more with him would be ideal.

oOo

"So anyway, Matt is a giant overly-sensitive, grudge-holding prick and Sora has turned into one of those stuck-up, holier-than-thou, preppy girls ever since she switched to tennis and Jun needs to wake up and smell the roses because she wouldn't have a chance with Matt in a trillion years and there is no excuse for her leaving me hanging this long. I'm her pretend boyfriend for crying out loud! I deserve some closure if we've broken up dangit!" Tai ranted not caring for once how crazy it all sounded.

Joe seemed to be more antsy than usual today. He sat stiff-back and rigid in his chair with his hands resting on his knees, tapping his fingers in a nervous manner and every so often he would glance at his watch to check the time. (Tai had to resist the urge to stab a fork through the glass face each time he saw this).

"Got someplace to go?" Tai asked, taking a swig from the can of soda Joe had offered earlier when he first had showed up unexpected at his apartment.

"Actually, yes, I do," Joe stuttered, his cheeks turning red for some reason. "It's not that I didn't enjoy your visit, Tai. It was… educational. It's just that I already made plans and I need to be at a certain place at a certain time and I need to get going. Maybe I could call you tonight and we could talk some more."

"What, got a date or something?" Tai joked, snickering.

Joe's face flushed red so bright it looked like he had a bad case of sunburn or had toasted himself too long in the tanning booth.

Tai choked into his soda for the second time that month.

"WHAT?" he exclaimed, spewing fizzy liquid all over the table. "What, are you serious? Who—what—where—_how?"_ he demanded wide-eyed.

"I-It's not a date," Joe disputed tugging at the collar of his shirt. His white-collar button-up shirt with a striped vest and tie and blue fleece, polyester jacket. "It's just where two people who possess a mutual understanding and familiarity agree to hang out with each other and do recreational activities."

"That is the very definition of a date in geek speech!" Tai shouted his curiosity piqued. "Well, who is she? Come on, tell me! Do I know her? Does she go to your school? Does she wear glasses too? How did you two meet? Details, details, man!"

"I'm sorry, but I have to go now or I'll be late," Joe apologized not sounding sorry in the slightest, walking them to the door and pulling it shut behind him when they had stepped outside.

"I'll call you later, Tai," Joe waved once they had reached the ground level of the apartment complex before taking off.

Tai was left standing on the sidewalk doing quite the good impression of a mime that had just had a piano dropped on him.

Omigosh, Joe, geeky-glasses, jittery, book-worm Joe was going a _date. _This was astronomical news! It should be in the Guinness Book of World Records! This piece of information was far too juicy to keep all to himself. He had to tell someone!

Tai drew out his cell phone while hurrying after Joe. It's not like he had a better things to do to past the time that day. The soccer team didn't meet for practice and he was being shunned by everyone else. Give up the opportunity to discover the identity of Joe's new love interest? No way!

Wait until Matt heard about this!—oh. His thumb hovered inches from pressing the blonds' number on speed dial before he remembered that they were fighting. Again. And Matt wasn't likely to answer his call.

Fine! He would call Sora then—dammit!

Okay, to heck with them. Izzy always liked to be on the uptake of things. Tai dialed his number but all he managed to get a hold of was his voice mail.

"Izzy, it's me!" Tai hissed into the phone as he crouched behind a mail box watching Joe pace back and forth on the corner by the crosswalk sign. "You'll never believe what's happened! Call me back as soon as possible—you're missing out on all the action!"

A crowd of people crossed the street and from his eye-level, Tai caught a glimpse of dainty sandal-strapped feet walk up to where Joe was waiting.

Any doubts that had gathered in his mind vanished at the sight of those perfectly polished toenails. This was the most exciting thing that had occurred since the Digital World had re-opened and no one was here to witness it except him!

He dialed Mimi's number knowing she adored gossip like this. Her annoying Ai Otsuka ringtone would be difficult for anyone to ignore. He could almost hear the hip-hop beat and lyrics to "Pretty Voice" from where he squatted.

Wait a minute… he _was_ hearing that song. What the—?

"Oh, hold on, I'm getting a call," a familiar voice said and Tai ogled bug-eyed as the crowd parted to reveal the back of a girl in a pink dress and white wool sweater pull out her matching pink cell phone over-decorated with multiple keychain accessories and hold it to her ear.

The girl's hair was honey-brown in color not pink, but there was no mistaking the soft voice that drifted out from his own phone.

"Moshi, moshi," Mimi greeted.

"Ah, ah," was all Tai managed to produce. He supposed this must be how Alice felt when she fell down the rabbit hole. He must have gotten caught in rift between worlds—some weird parallel dimension. There was no way he was seeing what he was seeing.

"I know it's you, Tai. I recognized your number," Mimi said. "Did you want to tell me something? If it's not important, it will have to wait. I'm busy at the moment."

"Y-y-you… changed your hair back," Tai stated numbly. Well, at least it was better than screeching, _"You're on a date with Joe—MINDCRUSHEDDEAD!"_

"I washed the pink out two weeks ago, Tai," Mimi said somewhat impatiently. "Dyed hair isn't allowed at school, you know that. I only kept it as long as I did because the inspection guard has a soft spot for me, but the teaching staff finally had enough of me rebelling against the rules. Anyway, is that all you wanted to say?"

"Um, it looks… good?" Tai complimented weakly.

"Thank you, Tai. See you at school," Mimi said politely but curtly as she hung up.

"What was that about?" Joe asked anxiously.

"Oh, just Tai being Tai," Mimi sighed. "I guess he snapped out of his comatose state and reclusiveness long enough today to finally notice my hair is brown again. He's been acting strange ever since the day he, Sora, and Jun all tried to give Matt a new watch. Now none of them are talking to each other and it's driving me crazy."

"Oh, he was telling me about that," Joe said. "Is it true he's really dating Jun?"

"He's adamantly denying it, but every time you turn around you see them together, or at least you used to. Jun hasn't approached him for awhile now. Maybe they broke up?" Mimi wondered out loud. "It sounds like he's lonely. He called to say my hair looks nice."

"I think so too," Joe agreed quickly looking like he had spoke without thinking for his face turned so red it was almost a purple shade.

"Really?" Mimi said, curling a strand around her finger and frowning at the color. "I always thought brown was so dull and boring."

"I think you look better natural. I mean your hair looks better natural! I mean, it's not like I thought you looked hideous with pink hair or anything! I mean, you always look nice. You just look nicer natural. I mean, don't let other people's opinions sway the way you wear your hair! Ah, don't listen to me! That is—" Joe stumbled over the words at last cutting himself off abruptly and hiding his eyes behind the glint of his glasses.

"Oh, Joe, you still get flustered so easily!" Mimi laughed. "Come on, let's go.

The two set off down street, walking close side by side but neither one touching the other, their voices gradually growing dimmer as they got further away.

Tai remained behind the mailbox his legs collapsing underneath him in a cross-legged position. For one moment, his brain was blissfully void of any words, ideas, images and thoughts whatsoever. It was like he had attained a high level of _zazen _enlightenment.

Then reality crashed down upon and he leaped to his feet clutching his head and screamed, "HOLY SHELLMON!"

Joe and Mimi were dating.

Well, he couldn't be too sure of that. Joe had claimed it wasn't a date he was going on, but he could have been lying in embarrassment and he had seemed rather nervous around Mimi. But then, he was always nervous so maybe that didn't count. If they weren't on a date though, why were they hanging out so conspicuously _alone _together? If it was just a friendly outing, why had neither Joe nor Mimi simply told him who they were meeting up with?

He couldn't be satisfied with all these questions and no answers. There was only one solution left now.

Tai whipped out his pair of red-tinted sunglasses he had bought at the arcade and put them on striking off in the same direction Joe and Mimi had taken.

Yus! Super Sleuth Tai was going to solve this puzzling mystery!

oOo

Okay, so fifteen minutes into his steadfast surveillance on the two hadn't yielded any suspicious results whatsoever. They didn't act lovey-dovey and they didn't even hold hands. And if they were on a date, they certainly had picked an odd spot. Of all the places they could have gone, where had Tai followed them into? A _bookstore. _Yeah, not a very romantic setting... unless they were going to look at _The Book of Karma Sutra_ or something—OH, BAD IMAGES, BAD, BAD, BAD!

Tai began clubbing himself in the forehead with a thick, hard-cover Atlas of Japan in a vain effort to banish the pictures his mind had painted vividly inside his head.

"I don't think doing that will help you raise your Geography grade. You might want to try studying through osmosis instead. It's less painful," advised a voice to his right. A voice he knew all too well.

"Jun!" Tai yelped startled dropping the heavy book on his foot and then spent the next minute hopping about madly on one leg.

"Stop that!" Jun frowned. "You look like an injured flamingo!"

"What are you doing here? And… why are you talking to me?" Tai asked wondering why the girl always seemed to pop up in the most unexpected places no matter where he was.

"_I_ came here to pick up a Japanese-English dictionary," Jun declared holding the book up. "And why shouldn't I talk you?"

"Maybe because you haven't for like two weeks—not that anyone is counting," Tai shrugged in what he hoped was an uncaring attitude.

"Anyone would be angry enough at their _boyfriend _for not giving them the heads up that their rival had bought the same gift as them to give to the person they were about to confess to _not_ to talk to him for that long!" Jun hissed.

"Okay, do you even realize how weird that sounds? And Sora is not your rival. She was just giving Matt a watch as friend. I tried to stop her but she wouldn't listen to me!" Tai tried to defend himself.

"Boy are you blind," Jun scoffed. "Anyone who was only giving a present as a _friend _would never have gotten involved in fight with the other person. They would have waited and given their gift later. That tennis chick is crazy—look at what at the handiwork she left on my arm." Jun rolled up the sleeve of her sweater to reveal an angry reddish-purpling bruise in the shape of a bite mark on her skin. "No _friend_ would go at to this extreme if they weren't serious."

Time seemed to slow down. Jun was still talking but Tai couldn't make out her words. A strange, unrecognizable, and unexplainable emotion seared in his chest. It was almost… painful.

"Well, I left a few battle scars of my own for her to think about. She has no idea who she is dealing with!" Jun fumed. "No racket-swinging, chicken-legged, flat-chested female is going to steal my Mattie away from me just because they've known him longer! She better be prepared for war!" The girl looked up to see his despondent expression. "Oi, you look depressed. Something wrong?"

"It's… it's nothing," Tai said avoiding her gaze and scanning the bookstore for Mimi and Joe. He spotted them over by the magazine section.

"Hey, isn't that the exchange student?" Jun asked following his line of sight and leaning over his shoulder for a better view. "The one who used to have pink hair? I wouldn't have expected her to be the bookish type. What's she doing here?"

"She's on a date," Tai said not bothering to go into details.

"Hmmm?" Jun hummed glancing back and forth between Tai and Mimi before the right-hand corner of her mouth turned upwards in a sly grin. "Oooh, I get it now! You're upset because the girl you like is with another guy!"

"_What?" _

"I knew it had to be one of those two girls you went to summer camp with! Good choice with Strawberry Shortcake!" Jun proclaimed gleefully giving him a thumbs up and winking. "She seems a lot nicer than Psycho Sora!"

"You're getting it all wrong!" Tai objected. "I'm not jealous of Joe and I don't like Mimi! I was just following them to see what they were up to!"

"So you were stalking them."

"Yes. What—no! I mean yes, but it was only a bit of spying that's all! I wasn't sure if they were dating!" Tai struggled to explain.

Jun stared at him incredulously and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, have you found out playing your little espionage game then?"

"No," Tai admitted feeling incredibly stupid.

"Tch, men!" Jun scoffed throwing up her arms in disgust. "You wait here. I'll go ask Strawberry Shortcake straight out if she and Glasses-san are an item for you."

"Wait!" Tai cried gripping the girl's arm frantically and yanking her back as she started forward. "Don't do that!"

Perhaps he didn't know his own strength or Jun was caught off guard. Either way, their equilibrium was thrown off balance and they found themselves toppling over backwards. Jun made a wild grab at the book shelf but only succeeding in bringing a shower of books down around them.

The end result of Tai's sleuthing act: nothing gained other than a plethora of paper cuts. Who was it that said "no harm ever came from reading a book" again?

oOo

"I have _never _met another guy so faint-hearted when it comes to talking with girls!" Jun swore as she stomped down the sidewalk to her moped, the two of them having been escorted forcefully out of the shop. "If you don't gather up your courage and tell her your true feelings soon then you're going to lose her! No wonder she's going out with Glasses-san. I hear the studious types are the most bold."

Tai trailed after her, hands in his pockets, thinking it extremely ironic that the Chosen Child of Courage should be on the receiving end of a lecture on courage. He didn't bother correcting her on the assumption she had that he liked Mimi. If she realized he didn't then she would continue to search for the reason he had been so upset back in the bookstore and he wasn't sure he fully understood himself yet.

"Oi, do you want a ride somewhere or what?" Jun asked and Tai became conscious of the fact that he had been loitering in front of her moped for the last minute or so. He blinked, feeling tongue-tied all of a sudden and Jun took the initiative and tossed him the helmet. "The spare's at home. Wear mine. My head's harder than yours. And I really shouldn't be doing you this favor considering I didn't get to buy the dictionary for my English class."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Tai apologized climbing on behind her and slipping his hands around her waist. The heat pooling in his hands was now so customary it no longer surprised him. The wild flip-flops his stomach made, as if he had swallowed a jar full of butterflies, were a new experience though.

"It just hasn't been my day," Jun stated grimly as she took off. "I haven't just been sulking for two weeks you know. I decided to start pursuing my plans as a paparazzi. I made some inquiries at some local magazine companies to see what the requirements were. They said I needed camera. That's a no-brainer right? But it can't be just any camera. It has to be a telephoto with a zoom lens if I want to get really good, quality shots. Do you have any idea of how much that type of equipment costs?"

"Uh…"

"Hundreds of yen!" Jun exploded, swerving around the clogged traffic lanes angrily. "That's only for one camera! They said the best paparazzi have more than one kind! _And_ I need a flash and external battery pack to top it all off! I've done the math: the sum is up in the thousands! And get this: even if you do manage to snap a good picture, you don't get paid until a couple of months later!"

"Jun, why is this so important to you?" Tai asked. "You have five months before you graduate and then start college. That's more than enough time to save up for a camera kit."

"You don't understand," Jun said, her voice quavering slightly. "Matt's going to move on beyond my reach. He's just starting out now so it would be easy for me to get some shots of him but he's too good to stay in Tokyo forever. His fame is going to spread… past Japan and into other countries. If I don't start acting now, he'll be so far ahead I'll never catch up to him."

Jun gripped the handlebars of her moped so tightly that her knuckles turned white. He could see the girl's despondent expression as she bit her lip reflected in the side-view mirror. Pressed against her back, he was aware of the tiny tremors that were racking through her body that she was trying to gain under control. Tai laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know someone who can help," he said.

oOo

Hiroaki Ishida's normally scheduled routine of a mug of coffee and a cigarette on his break towards the end of the day was broken by a figure with spiky-hair hurling themselves at him and squealing, "PAPA!" in a joyful voice. Judging by the softness of other person pressed against his chest, they were most undoubtedly female. Hiroaki didn't recall having any daughters. The only two children he had were both boys and they certainly didn't address him as "Papa".

"Excuse me, miss," he said attempting to pry her off him by her arms—it was like trying to peel the peanut butter layering off a cracker. "But I'm afraid you have the wrong person."

The girl lifted her face up from within the folds of his shirt and graced him with a radiant smile. "Nope!" she chirped merrily, hugging him tighter. "You're definitely my papa! I'm Jun Motomiya, your son Matt's fiancée and your future daughter-in-law! Pleased to meet you again!"

Recognition shot through him like a bolt from the blue. She was the one Matt had been trying so desperately to avoid when they had gone on that camping trip. The one who had chased him relentlessly across so many kilometers that he thought it was only fair she win her prize in the end and had ordered Matt to take her back home. He had been served burned dinners for a week on purpose after that incident. His eldest son could be as vindictive as his mother when he wanted to. Hiroaki had thought Matt was over-exaggerating when he had labeled the girl as an obsessive stalker, however he was beginning to suspect his son had a firm grasp on things.

And so did the girl. A very firm grasp. He wasn't sure how he was going to extricate himself from her clinging hold. Maybe he should call for security? But they might take the wrong person into custody upon seeing a teenage girl and middle-aged man embracing in a public news studio though…

"Mr. Ishida," greeted a familiar voice. Hirokai glanced up and was very heartened to see his son's friend, Taichi Kamiya walking their direction, a visitor tag swinging from around his neck. Perhaps he could phone for help.

"Jun, get off him, you're scaring the poor guy," Tai said stopping in front of them.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Papa!" the girl cried releasing him and leaping back blushing embarrassed. "I'm usually not this forceful. I promise I will treat your son with all the compassion and respect he deserves! Please accept me into your family!"

_Did she just ask for my son's hand in marriage?_ Hirokaki thought taking a long, much-needed drag on his cigarette and inhaling the soothing nicotine gratefully. _That's a little redundant. She already claimed she was Matt's fiancée. Maybe she wants my blessing. God, I don't think one pack is going to cut it today._

"We didn't come here so you could plan your wedding," Tai said, a faint trace of annoyance dripping into his tone before turning to his friend's father, "Mr. Ishida, I was wondering if you could give Jun a few pointers on joining the media business…"

oOo

When Jun was happy the emotion spread like a disease that sunk into the very marrow of your bones. Tai felt like he was experiencing flu-like symptoms. The sight of Jun skipping out of the elevator into the lobby of the tv station twirling in a circle as if she had just been chosen as the lead dancer in a ballet caused cool chills to travel down the expanse of his nervous system. And earlier, a sudden rise in body temperature when she had hugged him in thanks for bringing her here had swept over him like a fire leaving him light-headed and dizzy.

"Mr. Ishida is the greatest!" Jun exclaimed clasping her hands together elated. "Alright, I've decided! I'm not going to be a paparazzi! I'm going to be a reporter!"

Apart from the initial meeting, things had gone rather smoother afterward. Mr. Ishida had suggested that Jun join a tv production club if her high school had one. This would help refine her writing and speaking skills as well as getting used to standing in front of a camera. He also told her to make sure she was up to date on the news and every current event no matter how small. Then he had said if she was really sure that this was the career she wanted, she should enroll in a Journalism program at whatever university she decided to attend and he would give her an internship at the Fuji TV Station.

"You just wait, Matt!" Jun shouted her vow to the endless clear, blue sky as she stepped outside. "I'll be a famous reporter and follow you around on your world tours giving you media coverage! I will be a wife that can support her husband's career choice and stay by his side too! Not even distance can keep us from each other now!"

Tai smiled. Matt was going to flip when he learned the latest update on Jun. It was really too bad he wasn't talking to him at the moment so Tai could give him the heads up.

Tai's cell phone went off on vibrate in his pocket. It slipped out of his hands as he was pulling it out and Jun picked it up off the ground ever so helpfully and answered it.

"Moshi, moshi!" she sung out cheerfully still in the throes of happiness over her bright future.

"Give me that!" Tai snapped, snatching from her. "Hello?"

"Tai, if you wanted to tell me how your and Jun's make-up date went, you could have waited until school," Izzy said. "I hardly think I'm 'missing out on all the action' as you put it."

"I AM NOT ON A DATE WITH JUN!" Tai exploded in an irked, boisterous voice, startling a flock of pigeons into the air and successfully creating a wide perimeter around him and Jun that the crowd maintained.

Behind him, Jun was humming merrily along to a song on the moped's radio as she revved up the engine, quite undisturbed by Tai's vehement denial. Why should she be anyway? She had her heart set on Matt and was only using him as a means to obtain her goal.

"Listen, Tai, you better cut your date short and go home," Izzy said in a concerned tone. "The younger kids ran into trouble in the Digital World today and got beat up quite a bit."

"What?" the worry in Izzy's voice made Tai's blood freeze over. "How badly hurt were they hurt? What happened?"

"Arukeniemon created another Digimon from a hundred Control Spires. His name is BlackWarGreymon."

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below:

_Moshi moshi:_ This is used to say "hello" when you talk on the telephone. It is also used when you want to get someone's attention.

_Zazen: _Zen Buddhist practice. The aim of zazen is just sitting, "opening the hand of thought" (i.e. clearing your mind of unnecessary thoughts, images, and feelings). There are different positions you can sit in while meditating. Cross-legged is just one of them. (If you watch D. Grayman, you may recall Kanda using the lotus-position a lot).

Japanese music artist Ai Otsuka debuted in 2003. Since I'm setting this story five years after 1999, not three or four (English dub was inconsistent on that), that would make this the fall of 2004 and Ai Otsuka would have been a popular singer just starting out. I'm not certain what year "Pretty Voice" was released, but I think it suits Mimi very well. You should listen to it—it's adorable. I love Ai Otsuka's songs. My favorite is "Momo no Hanabira" with "PEACH" coming in second because it's the opening theme to _Hana Kimi_, my favorite drama^^

As for whether or not Mimi and Joe were really on a date or not… you'll have to read future chapters to find out! XP This fic is starting to resemble the plot of She's the Man! Meet Tai. He's dating Jun who wants his best friend Matt whom Sora also likes so Jun hates Sora even though she's dating Tai to make Matt jealous and Matt can't stand her. WTF did I just write?

Ahem, anyway, YES, BLACKWARGREYMON PLOT FINALLY SHOWS UP! Who doesn't love that guy and feels like his and WarGreymon's fight scene totally got gyped with Imperialdramon butting in? Changes in canon-events and plot up ahead! Wow, I try writing a romance and action/adventure just creeps in no matter my efforts to thwart it. Whatev, I'm having fun with it! (No, I haven't forgotten **The Alternative Factor **either. The plot bunnies just keep coming for this one faster!)

Fun Facts: This chapter's title is just making fun of Tai's pitiful attempt to imitate Sherlock Holmes (and his unsound logical reasoning at the beginning). Music I listened to while writing this chapter? "Pretty Voice" (duh), "Kids In America" by Kim Lian and "Stuck Like Glue" by Sugarland.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^

P.S. Tai's too distraught at the moment to think up any haikus. He sends his regards though and hopes his Tai's Haiku Corner will make a return next chapter!


	9. The Melancholy Of Taichi Kamiya

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 9 The Melancholy Of Taichi Kamiya**

Tai took off without explaining the situation to Jun and raced home in a panicked hurry. There was a cold, tight feeling in his chest and a lump wedged in the back of his throat. His mind kept imagining pictures of his sister's body in horribly mangled positions and not knowing how badly she had been hurt only fanned his gnawing, anxious fear even worse.

He burst through the entrance of the apartment complex and didn't bother taking off his shoes, heading straight towards his sister's bedroom and flinging her door wide open. Kari lay in bed under the covers, surrounded by an army of pillows. The pale skin of her arms and face was marred with numerous bruises fading from purple to brown indicating they were old, but other than that she appeared fine.

"Hey, Tai," she said, wincing slightly at the pain as she stretched puffy lips into a smile.

"You okay?" Tai asked tentatively going over to stand by her bedside.

"I guess Izzy told you. We couldn't stop him… he was too strong. S-so powerful...," Kari's voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes. She was obviously still shaken up from the near-fatal encounter and trying hard not to show it.

A small, white cat with a purple-striped tail emerged from beneath the canopy of pillows and curled up in the girl's arms. "I'm sorry, Kari," Gatomon whispered, her tufted ears drooping in shame. "I promise I'll protect you better next time."

"No, he'll destroy you!" Kari cried, hugging her partner tightly. "You're not strong enough to beat him! None… of us are."

BlackWarGreymon. A Digimon created from one hundred Control Spires. Mega level. It definitely sounded like too much for the younger kids to handle with only one Ultimate on the team. Not for the first time, Tai felt the twinges of regret and resentment at having to give up their Crest powers even though it had been to restore balance to the Digital World. If Agumon had been able to digivolve into WarGreymon, he would be a force to reckon with no doubt. But there was no possibility of that happening now. He couldn't even think of any words of comfort to give to his sister. What could he say? "Good luck, break a leg, guys! Literally." It would be like sending a Botamon to take down Devimon. It was so _frustrating._

His cell phone went off and Tai answered it without bothering to check the number, listlessly wondering if it was Jun calling him about Davis.

"_What the hell_ gives you the right to take Jun to my father and ask him to make my life even more miserable than it already is?" Matt's voice spat furiously.

"What?" The events of earlier today seemed as if from a distant time, Tai had almost forgotten.

"I just got home and Dad tells me you dropped by the news station with Jun in tow. Now I hear she's aiming to be a reporter to follow me around and harass me for the rest of my days and Dad wants to know why I didn't introduce him to my 'charming fiancée' sooner!" Matt seethed.

The memory of Jun laughing and twirling on the steps of the tv station so blissfully happy flashed before Tai's eyes. A dull, burning anger swelled up within him. "She has every right to chase after her dreams and _I_ have every right to help her!" he stated heatedly.

"Oh, so you _did_ do it on purpose!" Matt accused. "I don't know what your problem is these days, Tai, but even I never thought you would sink as low as sabotage!"

"Exactly _what_ am I sabotaging?" Tai demanded, his voice rising along with his ire and Kari and Gatomon were staring wide-eyed at him. "At least Jun and I know where we stand with each other! At least I don't avoid confrontation with her at every opportunity like _you!_ If you don't like her stalking you and putting you on a pedestal then be honest and quit hiding! Pluck up the courage and tell her you can't return her feelings and put an end to this wishy-washy charade you're playing! It's only making you look indecisive and timid in her eyes—something she finds extremely attractive, just why I don't know!"

"W-w-what—" Matt stuttered at a loss for words. It wasn't often that he got preached at. And by Tai. By Tai whose argument actually sounded sensible for once.

"If you have the time to call me and attempt to shove your self-righteous indignation down my throat, why don't you save your breath and talk to T.K.!" Tai said. "He's probably just as bad off as Kari!"

"T.K.? What do you mean?" Matt asked, surprise and worry seeping into his tone.

"Haven't you seen him yet?"

"He's over at Mom's. He doesn't visit Dad and me until this weekend. Did something happen?"

"Call Izzy first," Tai suggested hanging up abruptly. There was nothing more he wanted to say at that time.

"Did you and Matt have another fight?" Kari asked looking sad.

"Forget about it," Tai said placing a gentle hand on her forehead. It felt a little bit warmer than usual. He hoped it wasn't the start of a fever. He didn't think she could handle the stress of another physical illness right now. "I'll get you something to cold to drink. Meanwhile, you think about what to say to Mom to explain your injuries when she gets back. Where is she anyway?"

He hadn't seen her when he had rushed by the kitchen. It was unusual for her not to be home so late in the afternoon.

"She was here earlier," Kari said. "She went next door to Mrs. Hanazawa's to borrow some daikon for supper."

"There goes my appetite," Tai muttered. "What did she say when she saw you?"

"She said I should rethink about staying in the Photography club. It looks 'dangerously rough'," Kari repeated.

Tai let out a much-needed laugh at that, grasping the door handle on his way out. "Don't worry about BlackWarGreymon, Kari," he said. "We'll get through this somehow. You're not alone, never forget that."

oOo

Kari was well enough to get up and go to school the next morning.

"You're not going back to the Digital World today, are you?" Tai asked on their walk to school. "You should take one day off at least and catch up on your rest."

"Every day we aren't there to knock down Control Spires is just giving Arukeniemon a chance to create more evil Digimon," Kari said. "We have to go back."

"We'll be more careful this time!" Gatomon called out as she walked delicately across the telephone wires above them. "If BlackWarGreymon shows his ugly tin mug again, I'll use it as my new scratching post!"

"Just don't do anything reckless," Tai warned as they parted to go on separate routes to their schools.

"That's funny coming from you!" Kari laughed waving goodbye.

Tai wondered what exactly she had meant by that. He didn't have to dwell on it too long though, for he was ambushed the minute he crossed the school ground's threshold by Jun who snagged him firmly by his tie and dragged him behind the school, past the bicycle racks, to the storage shed and shoved him inside, shutting the door behind her.

"Agh, what are you doing?" Tai croaked. It was more difficult than he thought since Jun was still holding onto to his tie in an uncomfortable grip and practically choking him.

"Shut up!" Jun ordered, yanking harshly on his tie and shaking him into silence. "The little twerp was being as bull-headed and tight-lipped as he always annoyingly is yesterday so you're going to explain instead! Tell me what happened in that other world that caused my brother to come back home looking like he'd been run over by an elephant! Was it one of your monster friends you hold in such high regard? Huh?"

Tai was surprised that she seemed concerned about Davis. "The one who attacked your brother and the others was not one of our 'friends'," he explained as calmly as he was able with his trachea being cut off from its air supply. "It was one of our enemies."

"Is that all you're going to tell me?" Jun exclaimed incredulously. "My brother puts himself at risk playing boy-hero in some stupid made-up world and you—"

"I told you before that the Digital World and its inhabitants are as real as you and me," Tai interrupted her coldly, jerking himself free. "Anything abnormal that happens is in jeopardy to leaking over to ours and visa versa. The two worlds are connected and we're not playing some kind of virtual-reality game. Davis is aware of the danger there and his duty to stop it and the sooner you accept this fact the better."

Tai felt around in the darkness trying to find the door. His hand brushed against the Jun's arm and he realized she was standing right in front of it effectively blocking it.

"Move away from the door."

"No, not until you promise me I can have a Digimon too."

"I thought we talked about this already."

"I'm not stupid. The only thing that is hindering me is that I can't go to the Digital World right?" Jun assessed shrewdly. "Davis' little blue dragon came from there and it seems to be doing alright here. Just bring me back a Digimon and I'll prove myself a good partner!"

Tai couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I can't do that!"

"I know why you're hesitating. It's because of that thing, isn't it?" Jun stated, pointing at the digivice clipped to his belt loop. "You don't want to bring me a Digimon because I don't have one of those. Who's to say one won't appear when my partner and I finally meet?"

"It doesn't work that way!" Tai protested remembering that both Kari and Ken's digivices had appeared before their partners had showed up. "Why do you want this so badly?"

"If the twerp can fight then so can I!" Jun insisted. "I can probably do it better than him too!"

Tai was gratified to hear that Matt was no longer a part of the girl's reasoning. "You really do care about Davis, don't you?" he said with a smile. "You just have a funny way of showing it."

"Don't change the subject!" Jun shrilled, what appeared like dark shadows in the dim light blossoming in her cheeks at his statement. "Promise to bring me back a Digimon!"

"_No," _Tai said firmly_._ Now move!"

He grappled with Jun over the doorknob, knocking shoulders with her as they played a vicious game of tug-of-war with it until quite unexpectedly, the door swung open and Tai found himself falling with Jun for the yet the fourth time since he had known her. They landed in a jumbled heap on the ground directly in front of the feet of the person who had opened the door and Tai recognized the vice-principal's pointed shoes with a sinking heart.

It didn't help that Jun was pinned underneath him, her legs entangled with his incriminatingly and she was clutching the front of his shirt with both hands, her chest that was pressed against his heaving with tiny, gasping pants as she struggled to regain the wind that had been knocked out of her back in her lungs.

"This… isn't what it looks like," Tai stammered red-faced.

oOo

"Did you hear? Kamiya and Motomiya got caught making out in the school storage shed!"

"I think it's so romantic they forgave each other and made up!"

"Waaah! This will totally mess up the odds in the Love Square pool! I bet two hundred yen that Motomiya and Ishida end up together!"

"Hey, you still have a chance! Remember Kamiya and Motomiya are an off-and-on again couple! They're just on the honeymoon stage in their relationship cycle right now. It can't last forever."

"Quit spinning wild rumors! Don't you have better things to do with your time?" said a voice in an admonishing tone to her gossiping classmates.

Tai turned and saw Sora take a seat next to him. The girl gave a small smile and wave as she met his eyes. Oh, was that a sign that she had forgiven his earlier transgression of the Infamous Watch Incident then? Were they talking again now?

"That's not at all true what everyone is saying anyway right?" she asked sounding oddly curious.

Tai smacked his forehead sharply into his desktop's surface as he let out an exasperated moan.

"S-seriously?" Sora squeaked amazed.

"What class is this?" Tai asked wearily lifting his now-sore and throbbing head up.

The teaching staff was still debating over what his and Jun's punishment should be. Obviously, they couldn't allow students to go around making bad examples of themselves to others and Odaiba High had a reputation to uphold as a wholesome school as well. They were planning to forbid him from playing soccer, but the coach, once he had caught wind of this, had marched into the principal's office and threw an adult temper tantrum (complete with throwing his cap and clipboard on the floor and stomping on them) and accused the school board of being "paid off by the rival team" and how he "would not stand for subterfuge of this level!" No one had been sure what to do about Jun, who so far had not joined any after-school clubs (and was keeping quiet about her desire to join the tv production club just in case) and therefore was proving difficult to penalize.

So in the end, they both had received a two-hour-long lecture from the health teacher on the dangers of STD s and the importance of abstinence. It had been utterly humiliating.

"Literature," Sora told him.

Tai's shoulders began to shake and tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes as a maniacal, cackling laugh erupted from deep within his throat.

Worst. Punishment. Ever.

"Takashi-sensei!" shouted one of his female classmates. "I think Taichi-san is having a nervous breakdown!"

oOo

It was lunch time and Tai had decided to escape the mob of senior girls he knew would descend on him as usual probably to congratulate him on his and Jun's "passionate make-up session" by heading outside the building to sit and eat his bento as peacefully as possible on the benches underneath the shade of the sakura trees.

A little difficult since he had forgotten it was autumn and almost all the leaves had fallen from their branches leaving nothing but the bare skeleton. The day was cloudy, gray, windy and cold, but at least he had half an hour of space away from his nosy classmates.

So he thought.

The crunch of gravel under someone's feet fell upon his ears and Tai looked up to see Matt standing a few feet away, an appropriately chagrined expression plastered on his face.

"Hey," Matt said in a sheepish tone.

"Hey," Tai replied brusquely.

"I saw you from the window," Matt explained, shifting his weight around restlessly, "and I just came out here to say…"

Tai waited good-naturedly.

"I'm sorry for that phone call last night, alright," Matt finally confessed. "It was rude and I was really mad about Jun and acted like a jerk and took it out on you and that there was a lot of truth in what you said."

"That's it?" Tai asked.

"What else do you want me to say?" Matt questioned confused.

"How about 'I'm sorry for acting like a giant, mute douche for these past two weeks at my best friend who was only trying to help me out and diffuse a bad situation before it got out of control but I didn't listen to him and therefore paid the consequences'?" Tai suggested.

"Don't push your luck, Tai," Matt growled, the apologetic aura lingering about him vanishing completely. "You're the one who slammed your locker door on my hand."

"Your hand shouldn't have been in my way," Tai retorted. "It's not like I did it on purpose."

"I couldn't move my fingers for five days after that!" Matt cried. "Do you know how much practice time on the guitar I lost?"

"Oh, so you _were_ faking it for the next nine days then?" Tai pressed.

"The doctor said I shouldn't strain the muscles so I didn't," Matt stated stiffly with a dark glare. "Just to be on the safe side, of course."

"Of course," Tai said turning his attention back to his bento.

"How's Kari?" Matt asked after a couple of seconds of silence.

"Pretty bruised up, but she was went to school today anyway," Tai said. "And she's going back to the Digital World today. She's stubborn like that. How's T.K.?"

"He sounded really tired on the phone, but he said nothing was broken and that he was going back today too," Matt said. "He said it was their duty to stop Arukeniemon—that they couldn't let down the Digimon they were trying to protect. I'm worried about him, all of them. I mean, I know they can handle their selves. They're not little anymore, but they're still just kids and now…"

"They've got BlackWarGreymon to worry about," Tai finished suddenly loosing his appetite.

"I-I feel so… _useless,"_ Matt said in an oddly subdued tone. "We can't do anything to help them."

Tai glanced up. Matt was leaning against the trunk of the tree, shoulders hunched and head bowed, a mask of distress and frustration showing clearly in his narrowed eyes and frown. Tai felt his wall of anger crumble into dust and a surge of sympathy well up at the sight despite his best efforts not to. Darn Matt. Why must he look so much like a pathetic, kicked puppy when he was feeling down?

"Oi, don't you dare go drowning yourself in another one of your emo pity-parties in front of me!" Tai warned lobbing a rice ball at him. It clipped the blonds' head and exploded into a shower of rice grains upon contact, the seaweed strip rolled about it unfurling into the air and streaming merrily behind like the tail of a kite. "And step away from the tree. They're one of the worst places for you to go and sulk under."

Matt blinked as rice fell from his head like pieces of white confetti and stared at him astonished. "D-did you just—?"

"Giving up when things look hopeless has never been one of our strong points," Tai reminded him. "If you want to put a label on how many times we took a beating from our enemies until we were almost dead and still got up for more, 'suicidally inclined' would be a good term. I think we always seem to forget that things never stay the same in the Digital World. Even the digivolution process has changed. Who's to say the younger kids won't find a way to power up an even higher level than have already? I don't think whatever mystic forces that chose us to be Digidestined have planned for our existence to be cut short by some WarGreymon wannabe character. I think we deserve more credit than that, don't you?"

Matt was gaping at him. "Since when did you turn into Izzy?" he asked.

"More like Plato," Tai corrected with a roll of his eyes. "We learned about the Greek philosophers in Literature today. However did you escape out of that class anyway?"

"I have history that period," Matt replied with grin.

"Mmm, invasions, wars, and blood. Lucky bastard," Tai muttered enviously. "All we get is romance, reasoning, and pondering the double meaning behind words."

"Speaking of romance," Matt began, his grin slowly morphing into a broad smirk. "I heard this really interesting rumor about you and Jun in the storage shed behind school—"

"Don't make me dump this whole bento over your gelled, blow-dried hairdo," Tai threatened, inwardly pleased to see that Matt's trepidation had been momentarily swept away by his amateurish philosophical speech.

"Alright, alright," Matt conceded holding up his hands in defeat. "Call it a truce. I promise not to act like an inconsiderate jerk, but you have to at least let me know ahead of time how you're going to 'help me out' so I will understand your intentions. Some of your plans… well, they really suck."

"Thanks," Tai said dryly.

"Don't mention it," Matt said off-offhandedly, shading his eyes with one hand as he look down on the courtyard that was below the sakura trees and benches. "Nice view, huh?"

Some students with the same idea as Tai had taken their lunch outside and were eating it, sitting on the steps and grassy slope leading down to the practice field. Some already finished their lunch had converged onto the courtyard, taking advantage of a few spare minutes of fresh air to play several games of varying sports. And in the tennis courts, a lone girl with copper-brown hair was diligently practicing her hit and swing technique.

"I… hadn't noticed," Tai shrugged quickly diverting his gaze.

"I better go and apologize to Sora too," Matt said, his cheeks seeming to have been pinched a ruddy color from the cold. "I haven't talked to her for two weeks either. I bet she thinks I'm a bigger jerk than you did."

Tai watched the blond make his way down the slope, practically stumbling in his haste to get to his destination. Sora rushed over as soon as Matt stepped up to the fence that separated them. Even from this distance, the sound of their laughter over whatever exchange was made drifted faintly up to Tai on the wind. He supposed they wouldn't have protested if he joined them, but somehow it felt like he would be intruding on a private conversation. Especially when Matt placed one hand on the fence and leaned his face in close and Sora swung her tennis racket over one shoulder as she swayed her body to and fro in an almost _shy_ fashion.

Then he felt it again. That odd, unrecognizable emotion he had felt in the bookstore when Jun had told him Sora viewed her as a rival for Matt's affection. It was just as painful now as it had been then, perhaps even more keen—like barbed fishhooks tearing into his chest.

The revelation dawned on him just as a few rays of sunlight broke through the thick cloud barrier that covered the sky.

The reason why he had given out Matt's schedule to Jun not just as revenge for kidding him about the Locker Room Incident…

The reason he had tried to give Matt a watch had not been just to save his friend from getting caught in a bloodbath. He hadn't wanted Sora to give Matt a watch…

The reason why he had taken Jun to Mr. Ishida and allowed her the opportunity to get her foot one step further into the door to be nearer to Matt hadn't been just to help her with her dream…

The reason for this bitter coldness in his veins that stung sharper than the frigid weather, this prickly sensation flaying him alive on the inside leaving him feeling sick and angry at the same time as he looked down on both Matt and Sora below so utterly happy with the other's presence…

"_But that's how you know if you really like someone," _Jun's words came back to him. "_If you see them with someone else and get jealous."_

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

_Courage fails to arise_  
_To realize that I care_  
_For you comes too late._

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Looking back on what I have written, I realize this chapter is mostly filler, however there had to be a transition period here to keep the story's pace at a nice, steady flow. And since I'm hoping to fit the AU version of "A Very Digi-Christmas" in next chapter (hooray!) I needed Tai to realize he liked Sora (the guy's kinda dense sometimes), and also hint more at the Matt/Sora pairing. So, I don't think this chapter is up to par with its predecessors in humor (heck, it's seeped in angst), but as I said before, it was needed to fill in the time gap and move the plot along. And I feel the need to state firmly that yes, this fic is definitely a TaixJun. If the romance is taking so long to show up, it's because I despise fics where two characters fall "in love at first sight" and then proceed to act besotted with each other. I like to establish a relationship first on more than mutual physical attraction. Don't worry, it may have taken Tai this long to realize he liked Sora, but the realization for Jun comes a_ lot_ faster. Much faster. When you have been friends with someone for as long he has with Sora ever since kids, I'm sure it was confusing for him to figure out when the feelings towards her started to change into something deeper. You recognize feelings for people you don't know as well or that long a lot quicker in my opinion.

Fun Facts: Needless to say, I listened to "Things I'll never Say" by Avril Lavigne towards writing the end and Tai's haiku. (sobs) Oh, and the Greek philosopher guys will be reappearing again (not alive, just their ideas). I didn't quite get a chance to implement their teachings here, but they have some theories that BlackWarGreymon would find most intriguing for all his soul-searching questions.

Next time: _Shit is going down! _Ahem, I mean uh, rock bands getting monster-attacked, confessions galore, digivolutions yeah baby! It's gonna be wicked! (In all meanings of that word)^^ I don't know how long the chapter will be. It might turn out to be really long, in which case, I might have to split it into two parts, which means _shit is going down_ might not happen 'til chapter after next. Just a heads up, guys.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	10. All's Fair In Love And War

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

(Oh, and this chapter doesn't have a "Very Digi-Christmas" in it, sorry).

**Ch. 10 All's Fair In Love And War**

As much time as it had taken Tai to realize he might like Sora as more as a friend, it didn't take half as long for him to realize that Matt might feel the same way towards her. The fact that Jun had already pointed out that Sora already was reciprocal to the blonds' feelings was like pouring salt on an open wound.

It was maddeningly sickening to watch them in action. The manner in which they both cautiously danced around the other resembled something faintly like that of a pair of birds' pre-mating ritual. In fact, the two seemed to have forgotten how to talk normally to each other.

_In homeroom…_

He had a front row seat to watch the play unfold.

"Hey, do you have a pencil I could borrow?" Matt asked, turning around in his chair to Sora who was seated behind him. "I seem to have lost mine."

"Y-yes," Sora squawked, a nervous giggle escaping out from her mouth before she could stop it. Her cheeks flushed a brilliant, crimson-red as his hand touched hers to take the offered pencil.

"Thanks…" Matt said slowly as if searching for something else to say and coming up with nothing. So he ended up simply staring at Sora for the next ten seconds in an awkward silence doing quite a good impression of a goldfish while the girl turned even redder under his gaze.

"Eyes to the front, Mr. Ishida," the teacher warned. "And close your mouth. If you get drool all over the textbook, you'll have to pay to replace it."

The entire class erupted into a fit of laughter and Matt's neck swung around so fast it was wonder he didn't get whiplash.

_In Math class…_

Tai soon found himself unspoken-appointed mediator between the two somehow.

"Go ask Okuda's group what they think of this problem," Matt told him during Calculus where they were learning Venn diagrams.

"You mean the group Sora's in?" Tai inquired glancing over. The class was composed into six groups of threes, his and Matt's being the only exception with two people instead.

"It would be helpful to get a second opinion," was Matt's excuse.

"What's wrong with mine?"

"Get real. The only diagrams you understand are soccer."

Ouch. Was there really any need to be so… true?

"Why don't _you_ go ask then?"

"Just do it!"

Then Matt shoved him hard out of his chair.

_Spineless jerk,_ Tai thought rubbing his bruised side where he had been pushed. "Oi," he said wandering over to Okuda's group. "Are you guys having any luck understanding this stuff?"

"Well, have you two made a tree of the various number systems to show their relations?" Okuda inquired.

"Umm… no?" Tai guessed barely comprehending what was just said.

"Find out which sets of numbers are subsets of other numbers," Sora spoke up. "In particular, separate the real numbers into two mutually exclusive sets: the set of rational numbers and the set of irrational numbers. And remember, each set is infinite."

"O…kay," Tai said, his eyes glazing over slightly and returning to his and Matt's desks.

"Well, what'd she say?" Matt demanded impatiently as he sat down.

"Something about… relations being rational and irrational," Tai said, struggling to grasp his mind around the language of math speech.

"Irrational… relations?" Matt cried appearing horrified and a little frightened. "That was her answer?"

"And also that the set is always infinite," Tai finished, quite proud to have remembered that much.

"The set is always infinite," Matt breathed, a stupid, dreamy grin filtering over face. "That's beautiful!"

Tai really didn't want to know. He had always suspected math was a terminal disease that preyed upon the brain.

oOo

Matt and Sora's whatever-it-was may have been developing slowly, but other events were unfolding at an incredibly rapid rate.

Like Jun joining Odaiba High's tv production club. Well, more like hijacking it if you had questioned any of its members. Chizuru Hidaka, the main anchor-girl, could be heard tearfully protesting her abrupt removal from the tv spotlight all throughout the halls. Not only had Jun stolen her post, she had also canceled out the "Ohayo Gozaimasu!" report that aired in the morning before homeroom started and replaced it with another segment that showed during lunch time called "Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!" Wild speculation and rumors ran rampant on just how she had managed to enact a hostile take-over of the tv production club, blackmail being the most popular theory. Based on his own experience, Tai was sure some embarrassing photos of the club members were involved. Blackmail or not, "Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!" was a massive success. It was a kind of game show version of Truth or Dare in which students submitted fellow classmates' names on cards with the question they wanted them to answer on the back in a drop-box in the school office. The drawing would be done in secret and later that day, the tv production club would ambush the poor, unsuspecting person while they were eating lunch and pounce on them forcing them to play. As long as the victim wasn't you, it was extremely hilarious to see people perform some embarrassing act or answer an embarrassing question. However, the fun didn't stop there. Apparently, to stave off fluent liars, Jun had assembled a jury composed up of three people (different each time so no one would know who to bribe and let them off the hook) who were there to evaluate through eye movement and body motions if the person was lying or not. Four times out of five, the person would crack down and confess under the pressure.

Tai enjoyed watching it as much as the next person. If anything, it at least provided him with a distraction against Sora and Matt's inept flirting and gave him respite from Jun's visitations while he was trying to eat his bento in peace. He could relax, look at the tv hanging on the wall in the classroom and laugh at everyone's amusing antics.

"Konnichiwa, Odaiba High!" Jun chirped merrily as her visage appeared upon the screen, the microphone held up close to her mouth. "Who's ready for another episode of 'Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!'?"

Enthusiastic cheering broke out in classroom 2-B and through the open door, more rejoicing could be heard from other classrooms on the floor.

"Hai, hai, everyone!" Jun cried, waving as if she could hear them (and she probably could). "Commence with the drawing, Yusuke-san!"

The camera shifted angles and zoomed in on Jun's assistant, a second-year boy with scruffy bangs obscuring his eyes, looking more like a sheepdog in a school uniform than a student. Dipping his hand into the box on the table in front of him, he rummaged around for a few seconds before pulling out a card only to freeze in his tracks when he started to read the name.

"Hurry and tell us, Yusuke! We only get fifteen minutes, remember. Don't disappoint our fans!" Jun coaxed the boy.

Yusuke peered fuzzily from beneath his bangs first at the camera then at Jun before handing the card to her so she could understand the delicate situation better.

"_Eh?"_ Jun exclaimed blinking several times in surprise at the name she was seeing. "Yamaguchi Seiji?"

A flurry of whispers broke out in the classroom at the sound of Odaiba High's principal's name.

"Who would _dare_ enter Yamaguchi-sensei's name into the draw-box?"

"It's a joke. It has to be!"

"Ah, ah, someone just wanted to test Motomiya's resilience, that's all."

"You don't think she'll really do it, do you?"

"Omigosh, look! They're heading for the teacher's lounge!" someone squealed excitedly pointing at the screen showing the tv production club made as they made their way down the hallway of the first floor and pushed open a door to reveal the teaching staff of Odaiba High seated around a long, rectangular table with assorted lunches spread out.

"Ai-ya, she's going to go through with it after all!" one girl screeched in awe.

"How brave!" cried her friend clasping her hands together dramatically.

"Ne, your girlfriend's got guts, Kamiya," one guy remarked, nudging him with his elbow.

Tai didn't bother correcting him on the incorrect labeling of Jun as his girlfriend. The time had long passed since anyone would believe otherwise. Heck, sometimes his and Jun's relationship confused even himself.

"Hey, you don't think she'll get into trouble?" he asked Matt who was watching beside him.

"Maybe you'll get lucky and the question she asks will get her suspended," Matt said in an effort to cheer him up.

Tai wondered why the thought didn't make him as happy as it should have.

"Yamaguchi-_senseeeei!"_ Jun drawled out stepping lightly over to the principal where he sat with a mouthful of instant ramen noodles dangling from his chopsticks having been caught off guard by the students' intrusion. "You have been selected to play in 'Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!' Congratulations! Tell us, which do you choose: truth or dare?"

Silence reigned supreme for several, suspenseful seconds. Tai's classmates waited with bated breath as they stared at the tv and inside the teacher's lounge, the teachers looked on with dumb-founded expressions at the sheer audacity of the girl.

Yamaguchi-sensei chewed his mouthful of noodles, swallowed once, and took a sip from his steaming cup of green tea before turning his attention towards his assailant.

"Truth," he stated, leaning back in his chair with a crooked grin that seemed to say that he had been in the line of school business for so long that he was no longer fazed by any pranks that students could play on him.

The energy in classroom 2-B hummed through the air like an animated bee.

"Yamaguchi-sensei took the bait!" someone shrieked.

"Waaaah, best episode ever!"

"Shh, Motomiya-san's talking!"

"Yamaguchi-sensei, your question is…" Jun read, turning the card over so she could see what was printed on it. "Do you have a crush on Ichikawa-sensei?"

Collective gasps of shocked horror were drawn all over the school.

"Ah, she's dead, she's so dead, dead, dead!" wailed one girl.

"Yamaguchi-sensei will cancel the show for this!"

"Run, Motomiya-san!" someone yelled at the tv.

"I have to remind you, Yamaguchi-sensei, that you have one chance to change to dare if you so wish before you answer," Jun explained seemingly oblivious to the hornet's nest she had just poked with a stick.

The camera showed Yamaguchi-sensei sitting in his chair rigid but stone-faced before switching over to poor Ichikawa-sensei, the art teacher, who was blushing to the roots of her hair pulled back into a tight bun.

"No… no," Yamaguchi-sensei replied slowly. "There's no need. I will answer truthfully. Crush… is such a strong word though. I will say that I admire all of my teachers here and are very proud of their credentials and work, and to single one out individually would not be fair. Neither would pursuing them be… professional."

The teachers were all nodding through heads in agreement as they listened to the principal's reasoning while Ichikawa-sensei's shoulders were drooping slightly in what seemed disappointment.

"However…" Yamaguchi-sensei continued hastily, seeing the woman's sadness. "Every teacher I have appointed has excellent skills and I will admit that I have been attracted to Ichikawa-sensei's wonderful paintings and clay-models more than I expected…"

Ichikawa batted hopeful, big brown doe-eyes at him and the man stumbled over his own words.

"Well, I mean they're spectacular—the craftsmanship and brush strokes are just… amazing! And… Ichikawa _does_ possess a certain ethereal glow about her when she's engaged with another one of her works…"

"Yamaguchi-sensei," Ichikawa-sensei breathed softly. "I think the manner in which you run this school is full of charisma and discipline!"

"R-really?" Yamaguchi-sensei said, his chest puffing out a little bit as he fiddled with the top button of his jacket in a pleased fashion.

"Umm, did he ever answer the question?" Jun wondered out loud, tapping her finger to her chin thoughtfully.

"_Yes,"_ the Truth Jury, three third-year girls Tai recognized as Jun's classmates, sighed dreamily.

"Hai, hai! This has been another episode of 'Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!' everyone!" Jun sung as the tv production club left the teacher's lounge (and it's now-flabbergasted inhabitants) behind. "Who's enjoyed it today?"

Wild cheers and applause erupted in Tai's classroom and loud echoes of it reverberated all throughout the school.

"You rock, Motomiya!" shouted a member of the baseball club—incidentally, the same guy Jun had decked out cold with her backwards fist earlier that semester.

"I have to admit, even though she still terrifies the living daylights out of me and I think she's completely crazy, she can handle a tough situation," Matt confessed. "She would make a good reporter, I guess."

"Well, I have a special surprise for you all!" Jun said on screen giggling slightly. "Today 'Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!' will host its first double whammy! That's right—before we go off air, one more contestant will play the game!"

Tai was beginning to get a headache from the noise his classmates were making. They couldn't get enough of the show, especially with today's epic episode. His heart went out to whatever unfortunate person would be the tv production club's next victim.

He thought it a little strange when Yusuke held out the draw-box to Jun instead of drawing out the name himself like he usually did.

He got a severe case of chills when Jun grinned diabolically straight at the camera, her brown eyes gleaming mischievously as she reached her hand in and pulled out a card.

What was she…?

"Oho!" Jun cried in a tone that Tai had learned to tell was false surprise as she glanced at the name. "Shall I read their name out now or shall we play a game of Sneak Attack on this one?"

"Sneak Attack! Sneak Attack! Sneak Attack!" the class chanted madly. The students' mantra all over the school was loud enough to be heard echoing on the tv.

"The masses have spoken! Onward!" Jun proclaimed, striking a dramatic pose with her finger pointing forward before taking off rapidly down the hallway leaving the cameraman and crew to follow hurriedly after.

"Hey," Sora spoke up in consternation. "It looks like they're headed for—"

"Greetings, classroom 1-B!" Jun shouted salutations as the tv production crew crashed through the doors of one of the first-year classrooms below. "Is there a Mimi Tachikawa present?"

"Oh no!" Sora clapped her hand to her mouth in dismay.

Mimi's startled expression resembling that of a deer in headlights was caught on camera along with her biting into a pastry before the focus zoomed in on her mouth when she ran her tongue over her upper lip to wipe off a coat of fine powdery sugar that was blotting over her shiny, pink lip-gloss.

"God, I want to be that pastry!" one boy exclaimed feverishly and several other males voiced their agreement.

"I wonder who submitted her name?" Matt questioned.

"Sort of suspicious that Jun drew her name out of everybody else's," Tai commented, having a hard time forgetting Jun's devilish grin like she had _known_ what the card would say beforehand.

"Who cares? Thank you, God!" whooped another male classmate.

"Mimi Tachikawa, we're happy to have you on 'Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!' today!" Jun declared seating herself on top of the girl's desk. "Congratulations for being lucky!"

By Mimi's red-face though, Tai thought she might have her own opinions about her luck.

"Your fans want to know, Tachikawa-san," Jun began, flipping the card over to read the back. The girl paused for one breath, looking up and shooting a searching gaze at the camera as if sending a silent message. Tai hated the fact that he knew instantly it was for him. "What is your type of ideal man?" she asked.

"W-w-what?" Mimi squeaked turning even redder.

The boys in 2-B were practically climbing the walls with joy.

"Yes, tell us, Mimi-chan, tell us!" they shouted exuberantly at the tv screen.

"Poor Mimi," Sora shook her head. "That Jun! She has no shame—putting people on the spot like this! It's humiliating to even watch!"

"It's not like Jun's picking on her on purpose," Tai said in what was a surprisingly noble gesture on his part considering he totally thought she had cheated drawing Mimi's name somehow. "It's all a game of chance drawing the names."

"Are you actually standing up for her?" Sora demanded angrily. "What if she Sneak Attacked _you _on the show one day?"

On tv, Mimi looked like she wished the ground would swallow her whole. She had been surrounded on all sides by her fellow classmates eager not to miss a word of what she would say.

"Well, speak up, Tachikawa-san!" Jun said, patting her gently on the arm. "Don't keep us waiting! Tell us! Are you attracted to the studious, A-student, glasses type?" Jun aimed another searching gaze and diabolical grin at the camera. "Or do you prefer the athletic, sportsy type of guy? Hmmm?"

So that was what Jun was up to. No doubt she thought she was doing Tai a favor by forcing the girl she assumed he liked to reveal her tastes in guys. He supposed that if he really did like Mimi that way he would feel very grateful. As it was, his secret desire at the moment was to get his hands on Cupid, tear off his wings, snap all his arrows in half, and use his bow as a slingshot to send the evil chibi-angel deity down to the Underworld so he could never torment another soul with this twisted emotion known as love. It had done nothing but complicate his life.

"I… I…" Mimi stuttered, clenching her hands into small fists that shook nervously.

Jun leaned forward holding the microphone out to her impatiently.

"_I choose dare!"_ Mimi shrieked.

Mutual groans of disappointment flooded the classroom.

"Smart, Mimi, very smart," Sora applauded her friend on tv smiling. "That's what I call outfoxing someone at their own game, because nothing Jun makes her do can be anymore embarrassing than answering that question."

Okay, Sora obviously underestimated the very persona that made up Jun Motomiya, Tai thought.

Jun was pouting, clearly annoyed that her plans had gone awry. Then a familiar, diabolical grin slid back onto her face as her mind dredged up another sly scheme from within its devious depths.

"Hai, hai, Tachikawa-san, I respect your privacy, of course," Jun nodded very understandably. "So in return, your dare will be..." here Jun tilted her head and whispered instructions into the girl's ear.

"_WHAT?" _Mimi exclaimed looking absolutely mortified. "Why would you want me to—"

"Now, now, Tachikawa-san, let's not ruin the surprise for our viewers!" Jun _tsk_-ed, waggling a reprimanding finger at her.

"I changed my mind! I'll tell the truth!" Mimi said frantically, appearing terrified at the prospect of doing whatever the dare was.

"No going back once you switch choices!" Jun stated firmly before turning to her captive audience. "Let's give her a boost of confidence, everyone! Dare! Dare! Dare!"

"Dare! Dare! Dare!" the students cried, picking up the chant.

It looked as if the saying "peer pressure is a dangerous thing" held true for only after a few more moments of this, Mimi stood up from her chair, her face now a pasty-white complexion and walked stiffly out of the classroom as in the manner of someone marching to the gallows to be hung.

"Where is she going?" Sora wondered.

"What's she doing?" Matt asked, scratching his head puzzled.

Tai had a sudden, horrible foreboding feeling as he watched the camera follow Mimi's progress up the stairway to the second floor. He leaped out of his seat and raced for the doorway, wishing he had stayed home and played sick today. He couldn't believe Jun! He couldn't believe that _he _already had figured out the dare Jun had told Mimi to do.

He couldn't believe he hadn't escaped in time. He thought he was faster than that.

He collided into Mimi as she stepped in front of his classroom's doorway just as he tried to leave it. They stared at each other wide-eyed for several seconds before Mimi looked away ashamed, color creeping back into her cheekbones.

"I-I… I'm sorry, Tai," Mimi apologized in a voice low enough only he could hear, sounding utterly wretched.

Then she leaned up on tip of her toes and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before dashing away with a choked sob.

"Mimi!" Sora called out pushing past him and rushing after her.

The tv production club had caught it all on film of course. The students ate up the drama like candy.

"Kyaaa, Tachikawa-san kissed Kamiya!"

"A new rival has entered the fray!"

"The Love Square has become the Love Pentagon!"

"How does Taichi-sensei do it? _HOOOOW?"_ howled one boy pounding his fist on the desk in frustration.

"It's the hair, dude, it's the hair," his friend said. "It's sheer animal magnetism. The chicks can't resist a guy with a head of hair like a lion's mane."

"I'm throwing myself out the window if my name ever gets drawn," Matt vowed solemnly coming up beside Tai to lay a consoling hand on his shoulder.

oOo

"That was a particularly cruel thing of you to do today," Tai told Jun when she called him at home later that evening.

"Eh? I thought you'd be happy to get a kiss from your crush," Jun said. "I was even nice enough to let it only be a little one on the cheek so you can share your real first kiss somewhere else later."

"It wasn't fair to Mimi. She was really upset about it."

"She was just embarrassed at kissing you in public with so many people watching. Maybe it was a bit much but she needed a little push to get her in the right direction."

"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she _does _actually like someone else and feels like she betrayed them now?"

"You mean Glasses-san?"

"It could be Joe or it could be someone I don't know. Either way, you can't force someone to like you. If they do, they'll tell you when they're ready."

"Well then, either Shortcake's going to have to confess to you herself or give up, because you have feet flatter than a duck when it comes to matters of love."

"Don't talk to me about love!" Tai burst out glad he was alone in his room on his cell phone (that Jun had apparently pilfered the number off someone).

He was sick of thinking about it, about these newfound feelings for Sora and tired of trying to ignore them. He didn't want to be reminded of even the littlest things: the way his heart picked up speed when the sunlight got caught in her hair and transformed it from coppery-brown to strawberry-blond; when she quirked up one corner of her mouth in small smile; of the way her eyes sparkled when she had just won a game of tennis or one of their verbal disputes… or whenever she looked at Matt.

"Why not? I am your _girlfriend_ you know," Jun teased him. "Who better to give you advice than me?"

"That can work both ways, so here's my two bits," Tai replied tersely. "If you want even the tiniest, slimmest possibility of you and Matt ever happening, don't ever draw his name on 'Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!' alright?"

"Oh my, no!" Jun gasped at the idea. "I don't want Matt and my precious moments together spoiled by a bunch of spectators like we're animals in a zoo! I want it to be somewhere in private in a romantic setting! Tell him not to worry!"

Matt would probably worry even more if he repeated all that to him.

"That was no accident, you drawing Mimi's name today. How'd you do it?" Tai inquired curiously.

"I wrote her name and question on a card myself," Jun admitted gleefully. "Hid it up the sleeve of my uniform and acted like I had drawn it out by chance."

"Now I know why I always lose to Davis at Poker."

"The little twerp is almost as good at cheating as me."

"I'm gonna watch him like a hawk next time we play cards," Tai promised.

"Speaking of watching, do you think I'll be any good? As a reporter?" Jun asked.

"Forget being a reporter. You should start your own talk show," Tai stated surprised that he meant it. "Judging by the school's reaction, your ratings would be up in the millions!"

Jun laughed—an infectious, bubbly laugh. "I bet you say that to all your girlfriends!"

"No, really, even Matt said you'd make a good reporter," Tai shared.

"Matt said that?" Jun cried sounding touched. "This is a sign that he's accepted my choice of career! Now I can make the next move and get closer to him!"

"Wait, what's the next move?" Tai asked apprehensively.

He didn't receive an answer. "Ooh, dinner! Gotta go!" Jun said. "Later, bye!"

Tai told himself he was annoyed at the conversation being cut short rather than Jun not addressing him by his name… again.

oOo

_Message left for Tai on D-Terminal. Not found until bedtime._

**My band and I are putting together a special concert in a couple of weeks for Christmas Eve. I'm sending everyone tickets. Yours and Kari's should come in the mail in the next day or so. **

**You were right about me avoiding Jun all the time. I'm going to tell her the truth how feel about her next time she corners me. Strangely enough, it was Jun's show at school that made me motivated. It must have been all those truth or dares people suffered through. They didn't like the situation they were put in, but they were liberated afterwards. **

**P.S. What kind of gel do you use for your hair? :o**

**-Matt**

_Message left for Matt. Not found until morning._

**That should be fun. Take it easy on Jun when you have it out with her. Try and let her down gently, okay? **

**Cause she's psychotic and obsessive. **

**P.S. It's called In Your Dreams All Natural Not For Blond Rock Stars and it's owned and copyrighted by your truly. XP  
**

**-Tai**

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

_Cupid flies around_  
_Like an annoying bug_  
_Flyswatter squish-time!_

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below:

_Ohayo Gozaimasu: _"Good morning". This is more polite to use than _Konnichiwa._

_Konnichiwa: _It literally means "Good afternoon" but people use it as a greeting to say "Hello" as well. This is casual speech compared to _Ohayo Gozaimasu._

_Hai: _This word has a lot of meanings. Firstly, you can use it to say "yes" or "okay". You can also use it to say "present" when your teacher is taking attendance.

Sorry, no Digi-Christmas this fic! I didn't expect Jun's game show to take up the whole chapter. But it just didn't feel right going into Ep.38 head-on without more Matt/Sora hints. See, Toei? If you had shown just a little bit of chemistry between the two earlier on instead of _after_ they were already together, the couple would have seemed more believable. Anyway, yes, the Christmas concert will be next chapter. I did warn you guys it might not be for two chapters though, so please don't get mad. I tried to have this one out by Valentine's Day, if you hadn't noticed, but I didn't make it. Oh well. Ah, I feel bad for Mimi. She's been set up by me to be the scapegoat for Tai's crush on a girl and Jun hasn't realized the correct one yet. She's going to get a rude awakening next chapter.

Fun Facts: Jun's game show, "Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts!" was inspired by the tv production club in the Japanese drama, _Nobuta wo Produce, _where they ambushed unsuspecting students during lunch time and rated the bento they were eating. If you were a guy and you were eating a bento your girlfriend made you, you had better hope it tasted good otherwise the entire school would know what a terrible cook she was. XD If you had brought a fixed lunch from a store, your reputation would be at stake on your choice of food as well as not being capable of making your own bento. Japanese high school dramas can be really funny. I think the closest thing we have to them is the Disney channel live action shows, only Japan makes theirs PG-13/T not G/K so the older kids can enjoy them.

And I got more reviews for the last "somber" chapter than I did for the more humorous ones. Go figure. (That means next chapter, I will get swamped by reviews!)^w~

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	11. So Much For My Happy Ending

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

**Ch. 11 So Much For My Happy Ending**

The day for Matt's concert dawned bright and clear. There was a cool and crisp chill in the air that announced winter had arrived as much as the lights, red ribbons and holly wreaths decorating stores announced it was Christmastime.

The older Digidestined were gathered on the beach as they had been instructed to do by the younger members of the group who had been annoyingly secretive and silent for the last couple of days regarding the subject. They were obviously planning some sort of surprise. Tai could hardly stand the suspense. He was glad it would soon be over.

"Any idea of what's going on?" Matt asked him while they waited for the younger kids to arrive.

Tai shrugged, turning his back to him with his arms crossed over his chest as his lips twisted in a scowl.

"Oh, come on, are you still sore about those tickets I sent?" Matt laughed.

"You mean those _three_ tickets you sent?" Tai growled shooting a poisoned glare at him.

"One for you, one for Kari and one for Jun," Matt counted on his fingers pretending to be confused. "Did I forget anyone?"

"You have an evil, evil mind, Matt," Tai hissed. "If you were feeling gracious enough to allow Jun into your concert then you could have just sent her ticket along with Davis'!"

"I thought it would be more natural to give it to you so her boyfriend could invite her along. A concert at Christmas is the perfect setting for date, don't you think?" Matt teased with a broad grin, his blue eyes flashing in wicked amusement.

Tai leaped at him hands at the ready to rip his hair from the scalp by its blond roots only to be caught and restrained by Izzy and Joe on either side of him.

"Augh, let me go! I've had about all I can take from these stupid girlfriend jokes!" Tai shouted kicking and struggling wildly.

"You know, it'd be easier for you to quit denying it. Confession is supposed good for the soul, after all," Matt said clearly not realizing when to back down.

"Frackin' pretty boy, banjo-strumming, goth-wannabe, goldilocks pop star freak!" Tai swore vehemently. "I'm gonna punch you so hard, it'll knock the gel out of your hair clean into next week!"

Matt's grin grew even wider, obviously getting a kick out of riling him. It wasn't often that anyone was able to unnerve Tai. It was a case of him enjoying kidding the kidder for once. He opened his mouth to say something else—and Sora beat him to it.

"Quit egging him on, Matt," she chided. "If you two have another one of your childish fights and ruin Christmas for the rest of us, I'll never forgive either of you!"

Matt looked like puppy whose backside had just been swatted with a rolled-up newspaper. "Sorry," he said, his shoulder slumping. If he had possessed ears, they would have been laid flat against his head in shame. He resembled every inch of the word "whipped".

"Tai," he said turning to him. "I just mailed Jun's ticket along with yours because I figured if I sent it with Davis' he'd just tear hers up and think he was doing me a favor. I mean, he would be, but like that would stop her. She'd find a way to break in anyway and possibly crash the concert. It's just easier this way. I know you're not really dating her."

Tai stopped trying to break free from Joe and Izzy long enough to see that Matt was serious. "Well, that's… all you… had to say," he said, his temper cooling off. "…jerk," he added for good measure.

Izzy cautiously relaxed his grip on him once Tai's body language had relaxed. "Honestly, sometimes you two remind me of a mongoose and a snake's relationship: mortal enemies trying to kill and eat each other."

"Who's the mongoose?" Tai inquired curiously.

"Izzy," Sora cut in. "For the love of god, don't answer that."

"Taichi-sempai, guys, hey!" yelled a familiar voice. They turned to see Davis and the younger kids headed towards them up the shoreline towing three large tote bags tied with a gigantic red bow around it between the five of them.

"Wow!" Mimi exclaimed. "Did they stop by the post office and collect Matt's fan mail?"

"If they called us out here to read pages and pages of love-sick soliloquies from obsessed females gushing about their idol, I'm leaving." Tai declared tersely. "I get enough of that from Jun every single day—oh shut up!" he shouted at smirks on his friends' faces.

"Merry Christmas! We brought presents!" Yolei sung when they finally had reached them.

Tai didn't even have time to begin speculating what was in them for Davis called out a loud "Now!" and then suddenly he found his arms full of an orange dinosaur who had sprung out of one of the tote bags.

"Surprise!" Agumon shouted, his lips stretched back to reveal a mouthful of glistening teeth in a reptilian smile.

"Whoa, Agumon? No way!" Tai cried, as he staggered under the crushing weight of his partner.

Around him, he heard the startled exclamations of the rest of the Digidestined as they were reunited with their partners.

"Well, were you surprised?" Agumon asked, nuzzling his broad snout into Tai's chest. "Davis promised us you would be."

"You bet. Best present ever!" Tai laughed hugging him. "You little sneaks!" he said directing a mock glower at the younger kids. Now he knew what all their secrecy had been about.

Kari giggled delightedly.

"What a wonderful Christmas present!" Mimi managed to sob out, Palmon's Poison Ivy vines wrapped tightly about her as the two clutched each other and cried tears of happiness.

"Oh, speaking of Christmas, Ken invited us to a party at his place tonight so about Matt's concert—well, we were kind of wondering if…" Davis trailed off looking unsure.

"I won't get mad if you guys decide not to come, don't worry about it," Matt said. "Go and enjoy your party. There'll be other concerts."

"Thanks, Matt!" T.K. beamed waving good-bye as the younger team set off.

One by one Digidestined and Digimon dispersed, each to do a little catching up with each other before Matt's concert until Tai and Agumon were the only ones remaining on the bare stretch of beach.

They sat in the sand for several minutes in silence, listening to the faint sound of the seagulls crying overhead and the roar of the crashing waves in the distance.

"So I heard you had a talk with BlackWarGreymon," Tai said, his words slicing through the air with a ring of displeasure to them he had failed to mask.

"You mad at me?" Agumon asked.

"No," Tai sighed, absent-mindedly scooping up a pile of sand in his hand and letting it filter through his fingers. "Just worried. You should know better than to go talking to strange Digimon, especially Mega-level Virus ones. He could have destroyed you."

"But he didn't," Agumon said.

Tai didn't reply and stared down at the tide that was gently lapping around their feet.

"I know he attacked Kari and the others and destroyed the Destiny Stones, but he's not bad," Agumon stated with conviction. "I have a sixth sense about these things. Even Azulongmon said BlackWarGreymon had a purpose to serve."

_Azulongmon,_ Tai thought, the Digimon Sovereign of the Eastern Hemisphere, one of the four guardians of the Digital World. Finally the reason as to why the Digidestined had to give up their Crests had come to light. Give up their Crests to free the guardians so they protect the Digital World from megalomaniac Digimon like the Dark Masters from appearing again. They weren't doing a very good job so far.

"Yeah, well Gollum had a purpose to serve too and he got melted for it," Tai said placing his hands behind his head and lying back.

"Gollum, who's that?" Agumon questioned confused. "Is that a Digimon you guys met?"

"Just be more careful, alright? I don't want to lose you."

Tai felt a weight press down on his chest as the small dinosaur Digimon laid his head across it. "You won't lose me, Tai," Agumon promised. "I'll be here whenever you need me."

Tai lifted a hand to rub his partner's smooth orange head fondly. "Even when I'm old and grey?"

"Always and forever."

oOo

It was late afternoon by the time they arrived at Matt's concert. The stage had been set up within a large striped circus tent outside the Fuji TV station and already there was a large crowd lining up.

"Humans seem to enjoy listening to people sing," Agumon commented.

"Yep," Tai said wondering is he should go mull around someplace else for awhile and come back when everyone was inside. He already had tickets.

"It's funny because Digimon don't seem to have the same appreciation for it. Last time I tried, I got chased for ten minutes by an angry Tortomon."

Tai had to stifle a laugh. "Well, some people are just more musically gifted than others, Agumon. Tortomon was probably jealous because he couldn't sing as good as you."

"Yeah?" Agumon tried to puff out his chest but all he succeeded was jutting out his chubby tummy instead.

"Yeah, I mean look at the injustice done to me. I'm limited to only singing in the shower because if I do it around other people, they feel inferior to my talent," Tai shared. "Do you know how many songs Matt has stolen off my creative genius?"

"Wow!" Agumon was amazed. "And you don't mind that he's taking all the credit?"

"Nah, someone has to be the poster-boy and deal with the press. I can't handle all that publicity."

"You're a good friend, Tai. I'm proud of you!"

Tai hid a smile in the corner of his mouth. Sometimes his partner was really too gullible.

"Tai, yoo-hoo!" someone called.

Tai froze. He would recognize that voice anywhere. He was vaguely aware of Agumon taking cover behind a trash disposable. Spinning around, he came face-to-face with a beaming Jun Motomiya wearing a green festival robe over her yellow and white _Teenage Wolves_ fan clothes.

"Are you ready for the concert?" she cried, quivering all over in tiny, miniscule tremors.

"Are you cold?" Tai asked. She only had on a thin long-sleeved t-shirt and shorts underneath that robe. That outfit was meant for summer not the harshness of winter.

"I'm so excited!" Jun squealed. "These are shivers of love! I've worked up my courage! I'm going to confess to Matt today! Heehee!"

A chill that did not belong to the outside weather swept over him, making his blood run cold. Tai knew, he knew of course that his and Jun's relationship was not what it appeared to be to everyone else, that Jun was only using him as a prop to get closer to Matt and yet…

She looked so happy. Her face was glowing, her cheeks flushed pink and brown eyes were sparkling.

_**You were right about me avoiding Jun all the time. I'm going to tell her the truth how feel about her next time she corners me.**_

Her hopes and dreams were going to be utterly crushed.

"Are you sure you should do it now?" Tai asked.

"What do you mean? A concert at Christmas is the perfect setting for date, don't you think?" Jun laughed, ironically echoing Matt's words from before. "It will be a memory to remember!"

It would. Just not the way she thought.

Jun held up a thermal pail in one hand. "I've made Matt a treat to soften his heart as well! Wish me luck!" she said striking off in the backstage direction.

"Security won't let you past!" Tai shouted after her, attempting one final time to stop her, spare her the heartbreak at least for one more day.

"VIP pass!" Jun yelled back, waving the ticket he had given her at school a few days earlier over her shoulder at him.

"Who was that?" Agumon asked emerging from behind the trash disposable and coming to stand beside him to watch the girl flash her ticket at the security guards and be allowed through the checkpoint.

"My ex-girlfriend," Tai replied.

oOo

The late afternoon sun was sinking in the sky dipping below the horizon setting everything ablaze in an orange-red glory. Tai chewed the end of his straw, the soda not doing anything to calm his nervous stomach. How long had it been since Jun had gone to confess to Matt now? Five minutes? Ten? Maybe more? Exactly how long did it take to get shot down anyway?

"You seem troubled, Tai," Agumon said. "Is something bothering you?"

"It's nothing, I just gotta see Matt about something," Tai said getting up from the bench he had been sitting on. "Wait here, I'll be back."

He walked as fast as it was possible without breaking into a run to the security checkpoint… and bumped into Sora just as she got there.

"Oh, Tai!" Sora gasped startled by his sudden appearance. Her face flared red in embarrassment as she tried to hide a red and green wrapped box behind her back.

"Sora… is that for Matt?" Tai asked and Sora bit her lip hesitating, appearing a little afraid to answer.

"Hey, in or out, kids," one of the security guards spoke up impatiently.

They showed them their tickets and were let through the gates. The silence was deafening as they walked alongside each other, tension brewing overhead like a thundercloud waiting to burst. Sora refused to meet his gaze and was looking at the ground as if it was the most fascinating thing on earth she had ever seen. Tai wasn't stupid. He had witnessed enough incidents at school to recognize a girl about to confess to a guy when he saw one. He wasn't blind either. He had known this was coming for awhile now ever since Sora and Matt had started their disgustingly mushy, twitter-pated flirting. He just hadn't thought it would come to a head to this soon. And _why_ did Sora decide to confess to Matt today of all days?

It would be harsh enough for Matt to tell Jun he couldn't return her feelings for her. It would be downright cruel for Matt to choose Sora right in front of her.

Maybe he should try stalling for time, long enough for Jun to vacant Matt's trailer and not see or be seen by anyone.

"So, um, Sora… are you going to the concert with anybody?" he asked in an effort to lead her away from the backstage area. "Not that it matters to me, just wondering." He winced at how lame he had sounded. God, Jun was right. He _was _faint-hearted when talking to girls!

"No," Sora said seeming to regain her voice. "I want to available in case Matt is free afterwards."

Okay, ouch. Apparently, getting shot down was rather quick… and painful.

So what in the Digital World was taking Jun so long?

"Oh, I see. Matt, huh. That's okay," Tai said laying a hand on her shoulder.

Sora lifted crimson-brown eyes from the ground to blink confused at him, like she had expected a bigger reaction. "You're not… mad at me, Tai?"

"No, of course not," Tai said wondering she suspected even the slightest bit of how he felt about her. She seemed to think that it would upset him if she mentioned she was waiting for Matt. Maybe she was afraid of damaging their friendship, of putting everyone's relationship in jeopardy—two Digidestined dating had never been done before. Obviously, Mimi had not told her about her and Joe's little expedition then. Hurt? Yes. Jealous? Definitely. Mad? No. "Should I be?"

Sora was saved from having to answer by a high-pitched voice calling her name and suddenly Biyomon had dropped from the sky and flown down next to her.

"Did you give him the cookies, Sora? Did you? Did you?" Biyomon chanted, hopping up and down in excitement, pink feathers ruffled every which way from the wind.

"Not… yet," Sora said glancing at Tai from the corner of her eyes. He got the impression she wanted to be alone when she confessed to Matt, which believe him, was totally fine since he certainly didn't want to stick around forced to listen to them utter sweet nothings in each others' ears, however, he couldn't just walk away now. Not until he knew what had happened to Jun.

"Is he in there? Did you knock yet? Remember, you're supposed to knock first like this!" Biyomon chirped rapping on the door with four swift pecks of her beak before either of them could stop her.

The door opened a crack and Gabumon stuck his head around and peered out looking very distressed.

"Gabumon! You don't look so good! Is something wrong?" Biyomon cried in concern.

"Oh, well…" Gabumon said darting a furtive glance behind him. "I'm only a Digimon and I don't really understand human interaction sometimes so I'm not sure what's going on, but—"

"_Just tell me what you want and I'll change!" _

The shriek was feminine and laced thickly with a desperate agony. Tai's heart twisted in his chest at the sound.

"Please… just go." Matt's voice. Resigned. Apologetic. Unyielding.

The door Gabumon was holding onto was ripped from his grasp as it burst open and Jun stood in the entrance breathing raggedly, her face flushed red in raw hurt and humiliation at having been rejected by the one she loved.

Jun's devastated facial expression morphed into one of shock as her brown eyes widened at the sight of the two people in front of her—as did Matt's from behind her and Tai realized he and Sora were standing close together… and he still had his hand on her shoulder.

He jerked away as if he had been burned, but not fast enough. Jun shoved past them with a strangled sob and raced off, her figure disappearing into the blue shadows that twilight was casting.

"Matt, if this is a bad time… we can go…" Sora said putting one foot back.

"No!" Matt exclaimed coming over to the door hurriedly. "No. It's fine. Please, come in."

Sora smiled and stepped over the threshold. Matt placed a hand on the small of her back and looked at Tai who was still standing outside. "You coming?" he asked. There was a gleam in his blue eyes, a calculating gleam as if he was sizing him up, as if he had seen something he hadn't noticed before.

"No," Tai said quietly. "No, I'm going."

oOo

Neon-colored lights were flashing brightly the walls of the tent vibrated wildly to the beat of the music. The sound of a bass guitar, electric piano, drums and cymbals mixed with the screams and cheers of the crowd pounded deafeningly in his ears, yet Tai felt like he was experiencing it all from behind a glass wall. He felt numb, overwhelmed, like he was sinking into a chasm of nothingness.

Sora was sitting beside him on the bleachers, an adoring expression imprinted on her countenance as she gazed at the blond onstage singing. Her own confession must have gone better than Jun's.

Jun… he couldn't forget that horrible broken-hearted look on her face. _I should have warned her,_ Tai thought with a pang of regret.

"Excuse me," spoke up a new voice suddenly over the blare of the music and crowd.

Tai and the rest of the Digidestined looked up to see a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and thick black-rimmed glasses standing a few feet away. There was something familiar about her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"You're Taichi Kamiya, right?" the girl asked him.

Tai nodded. "Do I know you?"

"No, but our little sisters know each other," the girl said. "I'm Momoe Inoue."

Suddenly her face clicked into place. She looked just like Yolei, minus the lavender hair.

"I came with Jun," Momoe explained. "She had me save our seats and then she said she had something important to do, but never came back. I thought she might be with you."

"She's not," Tai said hoarsely, his mouth feeling dry.

"I'm worried about her. She loves the _Teenage Wolves'_ concerts. She never misses one and always cheers them on," Momoe held up two fuchsia-pink pom-poms in her hands in demonstration. "She left these behind. She never does that. I think something might have happened to her."

Tai and Sora shared a glance between them before Sora looked away first. The act sparked a dull flame of anger in him that snapped him out of his numb state of mind. He was the Chosen Child of Courage and he was afraid to face a girl he had let down? He stood to his feet quickly, bringing Agumon up with him in his arms.

"You stay here," he told Momoe. "Enjoy the concert. I'll go look for Jun."

He took off ignoring the others calling his name out after him. He sucked in the cool night air with one big breath, relieved to have escaped from the large mass of body heat and noise.

"Agumon, do you think you can help me find someone?" he asked setting his partner down.

"Sure, Tai, but it would help me if I knew who I was looking for and what they smelled like," Agumon said.

"Well, Jun is Davis' sister. Does that help?" Tai asked.

"Hmmm," Agumon said lifting his snout into the air and sniffing. "I smell…"

"You smell…?"

"Something really good!" Agumon exclaimed as his stomach gave a gigantic rumble.

"This is no time to be thinking about food!" Tai yelled exasperated.

"Oh, and Jun is over there!" Agumon said pointing one claw a few yards away where a familiar spiky-haired silhouette was outlined under the dim lighting of a streetlamp.

"Jun!" Tai shouted rushing over to her. The girl's back was turned against him, her head bowed low. He reached out to touch her on her shoulder…

And Jun whirled around with a scream of rage and slapped him hard across the face for all she was worth.

He staggered backwards stars exploding before his eyes—and Jun slapped him again on the other side of his face.

Tai lifted a head to one of his rapidly reddening cheek and stared speechless at her. The girl wore a furious expression as she glared at him with brown eyes shining with nothing but contempt.

"Did you two have _fun?"_ she spat viciously. "Did you two laugh while planning how to play with my emotions and humiliate me?"

"What—"

"_You knew!"_ Jun screeched, her voice cracking in half. "You knew Matt didn't like me and you let me believe he—_you're a lying monster!"_ She gave something at her feet a mighty kick and sent it spilling its contents all over the ground in a wave that pooled around Tai's shoes.

Stringy, pale-white noodles lying in a light-brown broth that was still steaming surrounded by chopped green onions and leeks with one now-overly cooked egg floating in the midst of it all.

Tsukimi udon.

"Matt doesn't like udon! He _never _eats udon! He told me so! Right before he turned me down!" Jun cried, her eyes glistening with unshed tears, but not a single drop of water slid out. "You made it up! It's _you _who likes it not him!"

Tai's throat tightened. He couldn't think of a single thing to say to explain his actions.

"You lied about everything! Matt, the udon, even the girl you like! It's not Shortcake at all, it's Psycho Sora! Well, tough luck! Because I've seen them at school too—her and him! She likes Matt not you! She chose Matt not you! You don't mean a thing to her! You're _nothing _to her! Nothing! Nothing! _Nothing!"_ Jun shrieked hysterically raising her hand in a clenched fist to strike him again.

Tai grabbed her wrist tightly as it came down, her barbed words fanning the dull sparks of anger in him into a crackling fire. "Stop it!" he ordered, shaking her roughly. "You don't even know what you're saying!"

It took a moment for Jun to get control of herself. She stood there trembling from head to toe, her wrist still held in his grip, then she lifted her eyes up… her pupils dilating to pin-points in shock as they focused on something behind him.

"Tai, we've got trouble!" he heard Agumon shout.

He turned around and was greeted with the sight of a tall, obsidian obelisk rising from ground pulsing red around its edges.

_A Control Spire, here in the real world?_ He thought wildly. _How is that possible?_

Digimon exploded from the portal beneath the Control Spire's base. It happened so fast, Tai only caught glimpses. He thought he saw Kuwagamon and Snimon as well as Monazemon, but he couldn't be too sure because Bakemon filled his line of vision like a swarm of bees.

But even their sheer numbers couldn't hide the bulk of black hide of red stripes and green spikes down its back and tail: DarkTyrannomon.

The black T-Rex unleashed an enormous roar turning its head in the direction of Matt's concert where faint sounds of music blasted from the opening in the tent. The earth shook mightily as the Digimon stomped one gigantic clawed foot after the other getting closer and closer baring wicked-curved teeth as he growled his displeasure.

Jun tensed in his grip, opening her mouth to release a terrified scream. Tai had the sense enough to clap his other hand over her lips to muffle the sound. "Stay still and be quiet!" he hissed. "Don't draw his attention to us!"

Jun obeyed, not moving a muscle as she clutched at his coat as if seeking protection.

DarkTyrannomon gave another enormous roar as he tore through the lining of the tent along with several Bakemon and put new meaning on the term "party-crashers". Screams erupted from within and people began streaming out trying frantically to escape.

"Wow, I guess DarkTyrannomon really hates Rock," Tai stated as he watched the chaos unfold.

"Tai, look out!" Agumon cried out a warning as he raced towards them.

A posse of Bakemon had them surrounded and spun about their prey in dizzing circles. This time, Tai let Jun scream as loud as she wanted.

"Keep 'em distracted for me!" he yelled at her dialing a number on his cell phone.

"_Aaaaaaah_—who the _heck _could you possibly be calling at a time like this? Ghostbusters?" Jun shrieked her fear momentarily replaced with livid astonishment.

"Hello, Ichijouji residence," said a soft female voice on the other line.

"This is Tai! I need to talk to Kari!"

"You're selling ties?"

"No, my _name_ is Tai!" Tai exclaimed livid. God, was everybody a total idiot or something? Was he going to be subjected to that awful pun his whole life?

The Bakemon advanced, closing their circle smaller and smaller.

His whole life which was looking pretty short.

"I need to talk to Kari! I'm her brother! It's an emergency!"

"Okay, hold on, please," the woman said.

"Are these more of your monster friends?" Jun demanded as the Bakemon cornered them around the streetlight. "Aren't these the same little creeps who took everyone hostage five years ago?"

"These are not and never will be our friends!" Tai proclaimed.

"Tai?" Kari's voice sounded in his ear. "What's going on?"

"Kari! Come quick! Matt's concert is being attacked by—_ack!" _he was cut off by a decaying clawed hand that shot out from underneath a Bakemon's cloak and wrapped itself around his throat in a cold grip. The phone tumbled out of his hands to the ground where Kari's voice drifted out calling his name in concern.

His lungs convulsed as his air supply was shut off. The world around him was growing fuzzy, he was feeling light-headed…

"Let him go, you overgrown Kirby rejects!" Jun screamed. He heard a hollow whacking sound and suddenly he could breathe again.

He collapsed to his knees choking and gasping and looked up blearily to see Jun fending off and bashing baffled Bakemon's heads in with the empty thermal pail that the tsukimi udon had been held in.

"Power up! Power up! Yeah!" she cried appearing totally into the game now that she had a weapon.

She was mad.

Insane.

Tai cracked a grin. She was _awesome._

"Tai, I'm here! Don't worry!" Agumon called leaping into the fray.

_Whack!_

The small, orange dinosaur went down under the mighty wonder that was made up of Jun Motomiya… and her soup bucket.

"Hey, he's on our side!" Tai exclaimed flinging his arms around his partner before Jun could finish him off with another blow.

"Oops," she said not pausing in between swinging right and left to look at the damage she had dealt; she couldn't afford to be distracted.

"Tai!"

Tai searched through the sea of swirling Bakemon trying to see who had called his name. It was Izzy. He and the rest of the Digidestined were huddled together in a small group in front of the now-destroyed tent and concert, gazing his direction in trepidation.

"I'm fine!" he shouted at them. "Go help the other people!"

People were being chased by rampaging monsters all over the place. A cluster of Numemon here, a Snimon and Kuwagamon there, herding people like frightened sheep. It was like a scene straight out of one of those old _Godzilla _movies only much less cheesy.

"No, Tai! Up there! Look out!" Izzy cried pointing upwards.

A shadow passed in front of the moon. A shadow with wings and twin metal gun-claws for arms.

Megadramon let out a roar of victory as it fired off countless missiles from his arms in a Dark Side Attack that rained down upon the earth with destructive force, sending up sheets of debris and slabs of concrete. Even the Bakemon were wise enough to get out of the way.

Unfortunately, that just made Tai and Jun better targets.

"Move!" Tai yelled, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her along. With a stunned Agumon tucked under his other arm, it was a rather slow process. So, in the end he just threw them all face forward into the ground barely leaping free as an explosion rocked behind them covering them in a fine sheet of dust and rubble.

"_Thunder Blast!"_

"_Rock Crackin'!"_

The twin attack cries were like music to his ears. Heavenly, angelic music. None of that electric bass guitar stuff Matt loved so much.

The Control Spire toppled over on its side with a dull _thunk!_

"Never fear! The cavalry is here!" Davis sung out riding on Raidramon's back with Ken behind him.

Tai would have remarked that they cut it just a little too close for comfort, but he was too busy hacking the dust out of his lungs and spitting grit out of his mouth.

Next to him Agumon stirred and opened dazed green eyes.

"Agumon, are you alright?" Tai coughed out. "Can you hear me?"

"Mmm-mmm," Agumon mumbled shaking his head slightly as if to clear away the dizziness.

Tai raised his head cautiously and looked about. The older Digidestined's Digimon had all digivolved into Champion as a result of the Control Spire being destroyed. They were busy rounding up the evil Digimon towards Nefertimon and Pegasusmon who looped a golden noose around the bunch as slung them towards Izzy and Joe who were holding a laptop computer out towards them, a portal to the Digital World open and waiting to take its stray inhabitants back home. Meanwhile, Paildramon was engaged in fighting Megadramon and Monazemon at the same time, but he seemed to be handling it pretty efficiently, especially when the rest of the younger team's Digimon DNA-digivolved into their Ultimate forms to help out.

Everything seemed to be going fine without his and Agumon's assistance. Perhaps they should just lie low on this one. Agumon was still recovering from Jun's whack-job on him.

Wait a moment. Tai sat up abruptly as he noticed her conspicuous absence. Just where was she anyway?

He received his answer from the girl's shrill scream when Numemon that the others had missed popped out in front of her and got her squarely in the chest with his Sludge Attack.

"_Ew!"_ Jun shrieked, her complexion turning green as she stared at the pink gunk smeared over her shirt. "Ew! Ew! Ew! Grooooss! You're gonna pay for that, you disgusting, green amoeba!"

Picking up a reasonably-sized rock with both hands, she lifted it over her head and took aim, ready to make a green pancake out of the Digimon, but it was already scurrying away as fast as it could go.

"That's right, you better run!" Jun screeched after it, grim satisfaction plastered across her face along with smudged of dirt, scratches and bruises.

The Numemon hadn't been running from her though.

A familiar roaring cry split the air sending chills down Tai's spine and numbing him to the core. DarkTyrannomon appeared through the swirling clouds of dust behind the girl having found his newest victim by following the sound of all the racket she had made. The black T-Rex's thick tail was already uncurling in preparation…

A wad of saliva that dripped out of the corner of the dinosaur's mouth and splattered on the ground by her feet was the only warning Jun got. She didn't even have time to turn around and look…

Tai was barely aware of himself springing up and throwing himself arms around her. There was no time left. He couldn't push her forward; he couldn't pull her back out of harm's way. The only thing he could do was provide his body as a shield and protect her from the brunt of the Digimon's attack.

DarkTyrannomon's tail lashed out like a whip, like a sleek black snake striking its prey in high speed. It swatted the two puny humans aside as if they were nothing but annoying gnats.

Tai literally felt the air rush out of his lungs as he was slammed backwards into the remnants of what had once been a supporting column of a shopping center. Now it was broken. Broken like him. He heard something crack loudly in his body yet oddly felt no pain. Maybe he was paralyzed. He saw Death coming swiftly for him in the form of an enormous black dinosaur, he distantly heard people shouting over the wall of fire blazing so tall and fiercely, threatening to envelop and welcome him into its warmth, but he couldn't move, couldn't think. Jun was slumped over limply in his arms unmoving and nothing else mattered.

The ground beneath him shook and trembled as a heavy weight trampled across it and a dark shadow slid over him. His vision blurred for a few seconds and when it had cleared, the shadow was gone and so were the fires that had burned so brightly. Nothing but ash remained.

Not ash.

Miniscule, black particles… digital data.

DarkTyrannomon…?

The moon peaked from behind its cloud cover, shedding its rays of light upon the earth below, unveiling the large orange and blue-striped T-Rex with a horned helmet that had been his savior.

_Greymon,_ Tai tried to say, but the words wouldn't form. His vocal cords felt as if they had been glued shut.

"Tai! Oh my god, Tai!" he heard someone yell his name in a panic, joined by several other voices.

Then there were figures of people all around him, their voices buzzing about his head making no sense whatsoever and too many hands reaching for him.

"Don't touch him!" the order was barked out clear and sharp.

The hands obeyed, backing off and letting the new voice through.

"Tai? Tai, can you hear me?" the voice asked in a soothing and calm tone. "Do you know who I am?"

Tai blinked several times. There was a patch of brown hanging over his right eye obstructing his view. He somehow dimly realized it was his bangs. He looked out of his left and tried to recall who the head of indigo-colored hair belonged to.

Ken?

Ken didn't wear glasses.

"J-Joe…" he slurred out through puffy, swelled lips.

Joe smiled at him relieved.

The air slowly returned into his lungs… and with it suddenly came the pain. Horrible, agonizing, crucifying _pain._ He felt like he had shattered every bone in his body.

He tried to scream, but all that came out was a dry cough and the taste of copper in his mouth.

"Joe," someone said from behind him—a girl's voice. "Joe, he's bleed—"

"Try and stay awake, Tai, okay?" Joe said smoothly combing over the others' words. Tai watched him motion someone over to where he squatted in front of him. "Call for an ambulance, Izzy," he whispered in low tone from behind his hand.

"How… bad… is it—" Tai managed to gasp out tilting his head at an angle trying to see the extent of his injuries.

Joe blocked his line of vision, placing the palm of his hand over his eyes.

Tai laughed weakly. "T-that… b-bad, huh?"

His vision was blurring again and with it came a different kind of darkness creeping up on him, beckoning him to succumb to its depths.

"Stay awake, Tai," Joe frowned.

"C-coach is gonna… k-kill me," Tai said.

Then his world turned black.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Whoa! So, um, who wants to lynch the author now?^^;; (ducks knives and tomatoes) Hey! If I get killed, guys won't get the next chapter! DX

This chapter took me quicker than expected! Okay, guys, I'm moving tomorrow and shall be without internet probably for a couple of weeks until I get the phone service settled out, so don't expect weekly updates anymore. I'll try and work on chapters at home and upload them at the library, but this will be much slower, alright? In the meantime, go check out some funny digi-amvs I made over on my livejournal (link's is homepage in profile). They should be the second latest entry.

Next chapter, I'm planning an interlude of what happened in this chapter starting from the fight scene from other Digidestined's perspectives. It will be shorter than usual, but there's something I want to show that I couldn't fit in this chapter since it was from Tai's POV. (Plus, re-reading what I wrote, dazed-injured!Tai is very confusing to see what happened). Then the chapter after that, will pick up where we left on this one.

Fun Facts: Go back and re-read the part where Tai goes looking for Jun after leaving the concert and listen to "My Happy Ending" by Avril Lavigne. (Yes, I shamelessly based the title of this chapter around the song). It's heart-wrenching! In fact, you could even start from where Matt rejects her. I always imagined Jun singing that song talking about Matt but telling all this to Tai. The lines in particular, starting from 2:23 to 2:44 are my favorites and really fits the slap-scene Jun gave Tai. I also listened to Jerk It Out by the Caesars during the Digi-battle. It was fun!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	12. Interlude

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Interlude**

_DarkTyrannomon's tail lashed out like a whip, like a sleek black snake striking its prey in high speed. It swatted the two puny humans aside as if they were nothing but annoying gnats._

Tai and Jun were sent flying backwards by the Digimon's unexpected attack. They hit the support column with a sickening thud. Tai, who was holding Jun tightly against his chest, took the brunt of the blow. A loud cracking sound filled the air as the broken column splintered straight down the middle. His body made a soft thumping sound as it made impact and remained where he had fallen half-slumped over on the ground, Jun sprawled out across his arms which hung limp at his side.

Neither of them was moving.

"_Tai!"_ Kari screamed her brother's name rushing towards him despite her friends' efforts to stop her.

DarkTyrannomon ignited towering, blistering fires within a ten-foot radius around him with his Fire Blast Attack pushing back the older Digidestined's Digimon with its intense heat and effectively cutting aid from arriving to his victims.

The ground beneath them shook and trembled as a heavy weight trampled across it. Only the head of DarkTyrannomon's massive form could be seen outlined from behind the giant, blazing fires, his attention focused solely on something on the ground in front of him, something that the base of the fierce orange and red flames shielded from their eyes…

"_Oh, stop! Stop! STOP!" _Kari shrieked frantically.

Paildramon disengaged his locked claws with Megadramon's to try and get there in time. He was snagged backwards in mid-air when Megadramon's tail curled around his right ankle as he tried to leave that whipped him around and slammed him violently into the rooftop of the Fuji TV Station.

Monzaemon didn't appear to want let his adversaries go without a fight either. Shakkoumon was warding off blue Hearts Attack bubbles that threatened to freeze him in place while Silphymon struggled wildly to escape a suffocating Silence Hug from the over-sized teddy bear's grip.

And every second DarkTyrannomon drew closer and closer to snuffing out two human lives whose light flickered pale in comparison to the brightly burning fires around them.

An ear-splitting roar of rage vibrated harshly off the Digidestined's eardrums as the form of another T-Rex rose up from behind the fire wall and charged furiously into DarkTyrannomon's side with a furious swipe of his horned helmet, shoving the enemy violently away from his intended prey.

"Grey…mon," Kari whispered. But the Digimon hardly resembled the one she remembered as her brother's partner.

Greymon's eyes were narrowed into slits and glowing a smoldering crimson color consumed by a terrible, blinding blood lust. Claws and teeth flashed wickedly in the moonlight as the two T-Rexes battled with each other. DarkTyrannomon's tail whipped out and dealt another deadly blow that sent Greymon smashing through a building's stone work. The walls, already weakened by the Digimons' attacks before came crashing down as concrete and debris flew everywhere in a massive cloud of dust and fire. Greymon was lost to their sight, disappearing in the smoke and stone. Undeterred, DarkTyrannomon turned his head towards his goal…

"_Nova Blast!" _

The cry rang out with a mad vengeance along with a stream of scorching flames that belted out of Greymon's open jaws. They enveloped DarkTyrannomon like a fiery tornado. Nothing but a twisted, charred corpse in the figure of T-Rex was left behind. It stood still under the moonlight like a monument to the sky before a slight wind picked up the ashes—data—and swept them away into the darkness of the night.

The same wind that briefly fanned the wall of fire into extraordinary heights before the flames exhausted their energy and having nothing else to feed on other than crumbled rumble and dust collapsed into nothingness.

Jun and Tai lay in the exact same position they had last been seen in looking pale and still as Death itself.

Kari was dimly aware of herself running forward shouting Tai's name frantically, other voices joining in the clamor.

Tai lay slumped over, half on the ground with his back propped up against the support column. His eyes were open but glazed over and unfocused. For one horrifying second she thought he was dead… then she spotted the slow but steady rhythm of his chest falling and rising as he breathed.

She reached out a hand towards him—just to touch him, just to feel the warmth of his skin, just to make sure he was really _alive_—seeing others doing the same in her peripheral vision.

"Don't touch him!" the order was barked out clear and sharp.

The Digidestined jerked back abruptly and Joe pushed his way through a tense, worried frown on his face as he knelt down beside the two. Placing two fingers under the girl's neck he checked her pulse and found it: throbbing steady and strong. He couldn't see any other injuries she had suffered other than a stunning blow to the head that had made her lose consciousness. Seeing nothing more he could do other than keep her warm until aid arrive, he took off his coat and draped it over her, before turning to Tai and calling his name.

For a few, anxious, heart-stopping moments Tai showed no signs of response. Then his eyelids fluttered faintly as he blinked and attempted to focus on the person in front of him.

"J-Joe…" he slurred out through puffy, swelled lips.

A relieved smile spread across Joe's features.

It lasted until Tai took a deep, rattling breath full of air … and acute _pain_ flashed across his face as he coughed up a tell-tale liquid that oozed out in a shiny, red pearl-shaped drop from the corner of his mouth.

Joe's mind raced wildly. What was it the medical books said about coughing up blood? Didn't that indicate a punctured lung? Tai hadn't moved a muscle from his current position either. Was he unable to? Paralysis perhaps?

"Joe," someone said from behind him—a girl's voice. They sounded young... and scared. Kari? Yolei? "Joe, he's bleed—"

"Try and stay awake, Tai, okay?" Joe said smoothly combing over the others' words, pushing down the irritable urge to snap at whoever it was. Wasn't it obvious that Tai was bleeding? No need to vocalize it and cause the victim—no, don't think of Tai that way—to panic! He motioned for Izzy who approached with no hesitancy whatsoever. Good. He needed someone who could think sensibly and remain calm. "Call for an ambulance, Izzy," he whispered in low tone from behind his hand.

"How… bad… is it—" Tai managed to gasp out tilting his head at an angle trying to see the extent of his injuries.

Joe blocked his line of vision, placing the palm of his hand over his eyes. Truthfully, he wasn't sure himself yet. Tai didn't appear to be bleeding anywhere except from his mouth. There were no bones sticking out grotesquely or limbs contorted into shapes that no human limbs should be in. Perhaps the reason that he had hardly moved attributed to the fact that he was in shock from the violent trauma his body had recently gone through. Perhaps he was suffering from a concussion like that one that had knocked Jun unconscious. No. No, something was wrong, something and didn't know what. And all he could think of to do to avoid questions he didn't have answers to was prohibit the chance of Tai asking.

A weak chuckled gurgled from within Tai's throat. "T-that… b-bad, huh?" He seemed to be having difficulty in keeping his head upright. It was bobbing up and down in exhaustion and his eyelids were beginning to droop heavily, a familiar, hazy mist creeping back into his brown irises.

"Stay awake, Tai," Joe frowned.

"C-coach is gonna… k-kill me," Tai said probably not even realizing what he was talking about, his chin sinking onto his chest as he slipped into a comatose state.

"Tai!" Kari cried sounding near-hysterical.

"It's alright!" Joe said shooting out his hand to ward her off from making any sudden, mindless moves like trying to shake her brother awake. The last thing Tai needed was to be shaken. "He just blacked out—that's probably a good thing. He couldn't handle the pain."

"The ambulance is on the way," Izzy said quietly in a numb tone that Joe understood more than he liked. This scene was all-too reminiscent of the fight with Piedmon. Tai had ended up in pretty much the same state then as he was now. No, now it might be worse.

A muffled whimper broke through the stunned silence that had crept over everyone like smothering blanket.

It was Yolei. She had both her hands pressed tightly against her mouth as she stared wide-eyed from behind her glasses looking like a bewildered and frightened owlet that had fallen from its secure nest into a cruel reality.

"He d-d-destroyed… D-Dark…Tyra—" she choked out her voice cracking in half, gazing at Greymon in a kind of horrified trepidation.

She had never seen one of their partners destroy another Digimon, Joe realized. It had only been Control Spire Digimon that they had deleted. For all their experience as Digidestined, the newest members of the younger team had never been in the same situation as everyone else. They hadn't been stuck in the Digital World for months with no prior knowledge of what their purpose there was, without any clue of what Digimon, digivices or digivolutions entailed. They hadn't had to constantly deal with each other and survive on a daily basis together. Survival which often enough depended on destroying real live Digimon who posed a threat to their existence.

_Perhaps we sheltered them too much,_ Joe thought seeing how Yolei's face had grown pale and pinched, at how Davis had come over to stare down with an unreadable expression at his sister spread out so seemingly lifeless.

There was a brilliant flash of orange light as Greymon de-digivolved back into Agumon and when it had dispersed the orange dinosaur was lying face-down on the ruined concrete of the sidewalk.

"Agumon!" Kari exclaimed starting towards him.

"Wait!" Gatomon cried leaping in front of her and spreading both gloved paws out wide. "Don't go near him!"

"What?" Kari asked in confusion.

There came an odd, strangled growl behind her. Kari whirled around to see Agumon climbing unsteadily to his feet, his body racking with violent tremors that weren't just from the cold. The pupils of his green eyes were narrowed into slits, his lips twisted back into a savage snarl exposing sharp, glistening teeth. He looked wild, vicious, feral… almost like the time he had been under the control of the Dark Spiral.

Kari took a step back. "W-what's wrong with him?"

"DarkTyrannomon used to be a Tyrannomon who got corrupted by a Virus, right?" Izzy voiced out loud catching on rather quick.

"Right, and anything DarkTyrannomon sinks his teeth into, the Virus gets transferred," Gatomon said watching Agumon with a wary, measured gaze.

She would be aware of that fact, Izzy realized. There had been a DarkTyrannomon as one of Myotismon's henchman.

"How do we help him?" Kari asked a tiny quaver slipper past her lips. She had almost lost her brother. She didn't want to lose his partner either.

"Just wait it out for a couple of minutes. Agumon's a Vaccine-type. He can fight the Virus more easily than Tyrannomon could," Gatomon explained.

The waiting was unbearable. One minute went by. Two. Three. Four. Five. And all the while, Agumon stood in place, locked in a mad delirium fighting the Virus within.

Then finally, the small, orange dinosaur gave a heaving gasp as a shudder raced throughout his body like the last aftershocks of an earthquake and collapsed where he stood. _"T-Taiii,"_ a soft moan slipped out of his mouth as his body began trembling again but for a different reason this time as moisture collected at the corners of his tightly-shut eyes.

Gatomon relaxed her guard and Kari raced past her and gathered Agumon up into her arms, wiping away the clear liquid that trailed down his cheeks with her scarf.

"It's alright now, Agumon, it's alright," Kari soothed not believing her own words. Not when Tai lay unconscious, his injuries unidentified, not even ten feet away.

"It's _n-not,"_ Agumon cried opening green eyes wide that were glassy and shining wetly. "I only r-realized today. Even as l-long as I've been with Tai… I d-don't k-know… m-much ab-bout humans… but I do k-know… they don't rem-main the s-same like us. They c-change… g-grow older… _d-die._ And when they d-die… _humans aren't reborn at Primary Village!"_

And there were absolutely no words of comfort anyone could think of to give to that except to sit in a stunned silence over this new found revelation and listen to the approaching wail of the ambulance in the distance.

oOo

_"You won't lose me, Tai. I'll be here whenever you need me."_

_"Even when I'm old and grey?"_

_"Always and forever."_

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** Yay, she's back with the new chapter! So this would have been out sooner, but what did I do first thing in my spare time on my lovely reunited net? Caught up on the eps of Bakuman that I missed, rewatched my fav eps of D. Grayman plus its newest manga chapter, and had a Hikaru no Go marathon for like the bazillionth time. Ah, bliss!^^ Then of course, halfway through an intense Touya-Shindou rivalry scene I choked on my coffee and realized that my poor, poor readers were probably ripping their hair out and chanting curses at my selfish neglect and depriving them at learning what exactly happened at the end of last chapter. Luckily, I pretty much had all this spun out in my head. I just hadn't sat down to type it, so here it is! Is everything clearer now? Has anyone guessed what's wrong with Tai? He _did_ get injured.

Alright, normally I don't do this. I hate giving away spoilers, but since everyone has suffered for two weeks now without any update on our valiant hero, I'll spare you all the agony and tell you no, it's not paralysis. His injury _could_ have caused it, but luckily, I'm not_ that_ much of an evil author.

Finally, I didn't really like using the earthquake metaphor towards the end especially with what's happened in Japan recently, but I couldn't think of anything to describe the process better. For anyone, who has family or friends where the tragedy has occurred, I hope they're safe and you have been able to get in contact. That part about DarkTyrannomon infecting anyone he bites—I took artistic license. But I don't think I'm that far off from canon if Tyrannomon could be corrupted by a Virus. It seems pretty practical to me. Plus, there was that time Lilymon got poisoned(?) by Myotismon. It seems like Digimon can get sick in their own way just like humans. Also, remember every Digimon belongs to one of three attributes: Vaccine, Data, or Virus. Vaccine is vulnerable to Data, Data to Virus and Virus to Vaccine. And about Agumon's revelation about humans, he's not the only one to have realized this. In 02 episode 13 Japanese subbed, Gatomon says practically the same thing about humans growing older and looks sad.

Not much else to say other than sorry this chapter is shorter than usual (but it is an interlude) and I listened to the Hikaru no Go OST for inspiration. That anime has such beautiful, sad-sounding songs! Oh, and switching POV was harder than I thought it would be after I had grown accustomed to writing only one for awhile. Hope I did okay^^;; Next chapter story picks up! Heads up, the story is far from over! I'm taking this until the end of 02, minus the cheesy epilogue. I may even do one-shots surrounding this universe after the story's over. This is just the obligatory black-hole point all the characters fall in before the final climax, There has to be dark angst here. Don't worry, everyone! After all, "the sun'll come out tomorrow! Bet your bottom dollar thaaaaat tomorroooow, there'll be suuu-" (gets shot) x.x

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	13. Accidentally In Love

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 12 Accidentally In Love**

Tai awoke in a drowsy and disoriented state. His vision was blurry and for the first few moments he saw nothing but a world of white. His ears appeared to be in perfect working condition however. They picked up the sound of a steady _beeping _situated somewhere close; of the quiet _tap-tappity_ noise he had learned to recognize over the years of being friends with Izzy of someone typing away at a keyboard; the scratching of a pen against a notepad; the rustle of someone's clothes and the scoot of a chair nearby…

Tai blinked several times and slowly his surroundings came into focus: stark, white ceiling and walls. He was lying on crisp, linen sheets and an automated bed with an IV drip sticking out of his arm. He identified an EKG machine as the culprit for the annoying _beeping_ sound as it steadily monitored his heartbeat from the numerous electrodes he could feel stuck to his chest underneath the material of his gown.

Gown… a hospital gown… he was in a hospital…

That wasn't all too surprising considering what had happened last night. The memory of Matt's concert, the Control Spire, the uninvited Digimon, and the battle that had entailed soon after drifted back rather fuzzy.

At least he assumed it was the day after last night. There weren't any windows that he could see outside. Just a heavy curtain ringed about his bedside. Just how long had he been out?

More importantly, what had happened to Jun?

He had tried to protect her from DarkTyrannomon, but what if he hadn't been fast enough? He tried to sit up a straight in bed and a dull, burning pain flared in his back causing him to hiss and sink back against his pillows finding relief in their soft coolness.

That was when he noticed he was wearing a neck brace. What—?

"So my knight in shining armor has finally caught up on his beauty sleep, has he?" a familiar mocking tone rang out causing Tai's heart to race wildly… and for the EKG machine's sensors to go haywire.

Jun sat in a chair by his bed with her arms crossed looking no worse for wear except for padded bandage taped to her left cheek, faded bruises and dark shadows underneath her eyes as the only other indicators that she had been in the thick of monster fighting.

"You're alive!" Tai exclaimed, a giddy, light-headed sensation sweeping over him almost blocking the abnormal ache in his mouth that had ignited when he spoke.

"And you're lucky to be too, Mr. Foolish Hero Complex!" Jun shouted in an accusatory tone as loudly as she dared, her lips pulled down into a disapproving frown.

"What—wait… you're _mad_ at me for saving your life?" Tai asked in disbelief, wincing at the painful throbbing of his tongue at every word he uttered. It felt like someone had sliced it wide open with a blunt, butter knife.

"Who said I needed saving?" Jun shrilled, her face turning red in either anger or embarrassment or perhaps a combination of both. "I was doing fine on my own, I'll have you know! I took on those Pac-man ghosties all by myself and intimidated that green amoeba thing with my mere presence! I could have dodged that Jurassic Park dino's tail too! But nooo—you had to go acting all Mr. Tough Guy and Superhero and look where that landed you! Is it some badge of bravery to be stuck in the hospital, huh? Does it make you feel good about yourself?"

Tai was beginning to see how Jun dealt with situations. When she liked something, she pursued it relentlessly. When she was happy, she flung her joy around like rainbows jutting off crystal prisms that the sun had touched. When she was upset, she put up a charade of anger and lashed out blindly to hide her concern and fear.

"I'm glad you're alright," he said smiling. "The world… wouldn't be as much fun without you in it."

Jun stared at him unblinking for a couple of seconds as if he had said something extraordinary. Then she glanced at the IV bag hanging to his right and raised an eyebrow. "Just how _drugged _do they haveyou?" she asked getting up from her seat to check the dosage. "I better get the doctor. They told me to notify them the minute you woke up anyway."

Tai caught her wrist as she turned to leave. "Stay." The word slipped from his lips before he could stop it. He scarcely even knew what he was saying or why. He only knew he didn't want her to go. "Just a bit longer. Stay here… with me."

Twin pink splotches blossomed in Jun's cheeks. "Che," the girl scoffed shaking off his grip. "Men are such babies." But she resettled herself back in the chair nonetheless.

"Where am I?" Tai asked looking around. He couldn't be in his own hospital room. Not with that curtain encircling and closing him within the small allotted space.

"ICU," Jun replied promptly. "They're holding you here until they find out the full extent of your injuries. You weren't conscious last night for them to do anything more than a physical examination."

"And you know this because—?"

"Well, I was in the ER too!" Jun stated defensively. "I was only knocked out for a short while and treated for a concussion. Then they needed personal information about you so I helpfully provided it."

That didn't sound so good. "What kind of information?" Tai pressed.

"Oh, it was just technical stuff like allergies and your blood type. So I told them if you ate crawfish you would break out into hives, that your blood type was B, and that you were the biggest, most idiotic numskull to ever grace this planet."

"_What?"_

"Then I asked if I could stay with you and they said only intermediate family in the ICU so I asked if girlfriends count and they wanted proof that I wasn't making all this from the top of head, you know because apparently, I have a lump the size of an ostrich-egg there from Mr. T-Rex and could have been delusional since who the heck would voluntarily want to become your girlfriend with a personality like yours plus let's not go into your wild, bushy hair-style or the fact that it could shelter an entire birdhouse in there, so I told them about that weird birth-mark on your lower left-hip that's shaped like Mickey Mouse's head," Jun declared in one, giant rush of breath. "What? Have you forgotten the Infamous Locker Room Incident?" she explained as Tai gaped at her. "Oh, pay no attention to me, I was up all night and they have a free latte machine out in the hallway."

"You... must have been really worried," Tai stated in wonder.

"Ha! You'd like to think that, wouldn't you!" Jun exclaimed laughing a little over-excitedly. "I was _so_ not! I just wanted to give you a piece of my mind first thing if—_when _you woke up! You're still not off the hook for not telling me about Matt! You're gonna make all those hours of me needlessly laboring over a hot stove cooking and preparing bentos that he could care less about up to me somehow! I don't care if you really do have a spinal fracture! That excuse is not gonna cut it!"

"W-what?" Tai said feeling like he had just been dealt another blow of DarkTyrannomon's tail. He became acutely aware of the dull pain simmering in his back suddenly.

"I-Ignore me," Jun told him. "That was the coffee talking!"

The loud cracking sound he had heard when he had hit the support column flashed to Tai's remembrance. The powerless feeling of being unable to move…

He found himself wiggling his toes and testing his legs out frantically, the panic diffusing slightly when the muscles responded to the brain signals without any hesitation. Obviously his upper body functions were in working order too if he had managed to grab hold of Jun earlier and that had been no mean feat—the girl was fast.

Gingerly, Tai touched his neck brace. "Isn't this what they put on people who are paralyzed? I can move though… why do I have it on?"

"I had to wear one of those ugly chokers too for awhile," Jun said grimacing. "According to the guys in the white coats, 'in the presence of severe head trauma, cervical fracture must be presumed until ruled out'," she repeated making quotation marks in the air and rolling her eyes. "They clearly don't know how hard-headed we are. I bet they'll remove it once they do some more check-ups on you."

"Maybe… it's not that serious—I don't feel much pain," Tai said shifting his weight around.

"That's because you have so much morphine pumping through your veins it could knock out a camel!" Jun scolded. "And stop moving around and putting pressure on your spine—you'll make it worse!"

"Excuse me, Mom," Tai muttered.

"What was that, _eh?"_ Jun said leaning forward and giving him a light flick in the forehead with her fingers.

"Ow!" Tai yelped, clapping a hand to the sore spot and glaring at her. "Hey, I thought it was an unspoken rule never to injure the injured!"

"_Such_ a baby," Jun sighed shaking her head sadly.

oOo

Considering he had thought the Grim Reaper had come for him in the shape of a giant T-Rex last night, Tai thought the day hadn't turned out too bad, even when the doctors came in and informed he had been diagnosed with a Thoracic Compression Fracture, which when translated into common speech, meant that some vertebrae in his upper back had been fractured when DarkTyrannomon had slammed him into the support column.

Good news: The fact that he wasn't experiencing significant numbness or tingling meant that there most likely, the broken vertebrae hadn't pinched any spinal nerves that could cause paralysis. The x-rays, CT, and MRI scans all taken after this pre-evaluation pretty much gave the same assessment.

Even more good news: the medical staff had decided his fracture wasn't severe enough to need surgery and was nothing a bed rest and a back brace couldn't cure.

Bad news: The bed rest consisted of one to three weeks and wearing the brace consisted of six-twelve.

When he had tentatively brought up the issue of soccer, more importantly, the game being held in the Tokyo Soccer Stadium that he was supposed to play in just a few days, he had been met with a resounding, appalled "NO" from the doctors and another flick to the head from Jun.

Which he wished she hadn't done, because after that, the nurse dragged her away by the ear on the grounds that she wasn't helping her patient heal any faster.

Hey, Tai _had_ tried to warn her.

So he had no witness to sign the will he had diligently written out himself once he had been given his own room after all the neurological and image tests were finished. He decided to leave his entire soccer collection to Davis, his Playstation, Nintendo, Gameboy and Wonderswan to Izzy, and generously donated the rest of his homework to Joe. He made a side note for Kari to get rid of some unimportant magazines under his bed and to delete all the history in his computer. (He also scribbled an apology about tearing the stuffing out of her toy rabbit when she was three but then hastily scratched that out deciding it was better if she continued thinking Miko had been the culprit). He didn't have anything he thought Mimi would enjoy so he gave her a bit of friendly advice instead: _Dear Mimi, Joe is a great guy. I hope you two will be happy together. Don't be mad at him for taking you on such a lame date to the bookstore. The poor guy's totally new at this. Cut him some slack. P.S. I think your hair looks better natural too. In any case, you won't get nick-named Strawberry Sundae or Shortcake as often._

He paused when he got to Sora and Matt. He hadn't wanted to think about them again so soon, but now he was faced with bidding them a fond farewell before the soccer coach barged into his room and strangled his former star player with his bare, meaty hands. His pen hovered above the blank sheet of paper for several seconds as he waited for inspiration, but no words came to him. Even his divine poetry had fled from him. How the Haiku God had fallen…

Tai discarded the will in disgust as flipped on the tv before he fell into a sulking state. Maybe he could catch the last fifteen minutes of the Power Rangers Arbor Day Special. He was alone with no one around to tease him on still watching kid shows.

Only it wasn't on. Instead it was newscaster giving a report on how several black towers had sprung up overnight all over Japan as well as the rest of the world and bringing more monsters with them.

Tai struggled to push back the drowsy fog that had settled over him from the painkillers as he tried to think clearly. More Control Spires and rogue Digimon… and he was no more informed than the rest of the people who had no knowledge of the Digital World. What was going on?

It was in that instant, he realized he had no idea where his digivice or D-Terminal was. He hoped one of the Digidestined had removed them and not one of the hospital staff. It was crucial they were not to be lost. He had to assume the Digital Sovereigns didn't hand out refunds.

He really didn't have much time to worry about the missing objects though, because then his parents burst into the room acting like he was on Death's doorstep and he had to focus the whole next hour on assuring them he was very much alive and had every intention on continuing to be so for a long, long while yet.

His mother seemed to think he was suffering from a grand case of delusion and kept sympathetically patting the top of his head between hysterical bouts of sobbing in which she apologized for not coming any sooner. Apparently, there had been a power outage on their block and electricity ad phone lines had been restored until several hours later when Kari finally was able to make contact with them and tell them what happened—it seemed she had never made it home either for some reason. Then there had been a mix-up of what hospital exactly he had been taken to and his parents kept asking his forgiveness.

They only calmed down once the doctors had given them the same diagnosis they had told Tai earlier and verified yes, their son was very lucky and that they had seen worse fractures than his before. Then his dad went to sign some papers and Tai was left with his mother who started fussing about the hospital food and how she was going to bring him some good, wholesome homemade meals and Tai had to clamp down on his tongue to refrain from telling her he'd rather starve than die.

That was when he felt the puffy, swollen laceration on his tongue, the reason for his discomfort talking earlier, and discovered one of his back molars was missing. Dimly, he remembered the taste of copper in his mouth after being slammed into the stone column and realized that the force of the blow must have knocked his tooth out as well as him to bite down on his tongue deep enough to cause bleeding. He hoped this wasn't going to affect his chewing much, because he loved eating steak and if he had to give that up, that was going to _suck._

The handle to the door turned downward as someone pushed the door open and Tai spent a few, fretful seconds wondering if the coach was mad enough to throttle him in front of his mother and if he should play dead only he wasn't sure if even a corpse would be safe from the coach's wrath.

"Helloooo!" Jun called as she entered the room stopping short when she saw the woman sitting by Tai's bedside. "Oh, you must be Mr. Foolish Hero Complex's mom."

"Hmm?" Yuuko Kamiya blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar visitor.

"Mom, could you leave us alone for awhile?" Tai asked, beads of sweat breaking out across his brow. The last thing he wanted was for Jun to recount the story, complete with her own unique anecdotes, about how he had saved her last night. As far as his mom knew, he had been at Matt's concert and was unfortunate enough to be one of the casualties when the Digimon had attacked. If she found out he had done something as stupid as rescuing the girl whom he was supposedly dating, she was likely to start gushing about true love and destiny and other romantic trash.

Yuuko may not have comprehended the full situation, but she obviously grasped part of it. "Ne, ne, Taichi, she's that girl who always calls you on the phone and you talk to her all night when you think no one notices, isn't she?" his mother whispered to him from behind her hand with a slight giggle.

"Just go already!" Tai shouted feeling his face burn, not caring how disrespectful he sounded.

"Ah, ah, Mama approves," Yuuko said winking at him before getting up, exchanging a nod with Jun on her way out.

"She seems nice," Jun said once the door had closed. "How did she ever spawn a son like you?"

"Why are you still here? I thought they kicked you out."

"I believe the correct term is 'checked out' and they can't. Not until my parents sign papers. It looks like they might have run into the same trouble as yours. It's not just power outages, it's all these black towers and monsters running amok causing panic. People are evacuating the areas they were spotted in and it's causing massive traffic jams and delays, but if you're watching the news you probably know that by now," Jun said eyeing the tv suspiciously. "Hey, isn't that the channel where they show teen dramas and cartoons?"

"_Anime,"_ Tai snapped grouchily, switching the tv off. "And I was just flipping through stations and the news bulletin was on, that's all."

"Mmm-hmm, Davis watches that channel all the time," Jun smirked knowingly.

"Is there any particular reason you're sticking around?" Tai asked changing the subject. "I thought you were angry with me."

"Oh, I _am_," Jun proclaimed narrowing her eyes. "You're a total jerk. I trusted you. I shouldn't have, I know. That was my fault. But I guess I should have realized guys watch each other's backs warn them about 'psychotic, obsessive' girls, huh?"

Tai felt his stomach give a sickening lurch at the familiar quote. "Is that what Matt told you?" he asked.

"You mean the fact that you agreed with him on that point?" Jun snorted sarcastically.

Tai didn't try to deny it. Somewhere down the line their relationship had blurred between enmity and friendship until it had been difficult to remember that the basis of them spending so much time together was nothing more than blackmail plain and simple.

"Well, here it is straight from the horse's mouth: you can tell Matt not to worry about me chasing him anymore. I'm transferring back to my old school. He can rest in peace! Him and you and all of your monster friends!" Jun announced whirling on her heel to go.

Tai stared at the girl's retreating back, a numb kind of fear welling up inside him. He reached out a hand towards her, but she was too far away to grab like before. "Wait," he croaked hoarsely and she stopped just short of the door and turned around to face him a cool mask of indifference, as if she was just being a good sport to hear him out, as if she didn't _care _what he had to say_._

Tai licked dry lips nervously as he searched for something, anything that would make her change her mind, but he was no rhetorician. Where was Democrates when you actually needed a dead Greek philosopher around? Still, he had to_ try,_ or he knew he would regret it for the rest of his life.

"I don't think you're psychotic and obsessive at all."

Okay, first attempt going by Jun's unimpressed expression: major fail.

"You're_ so_ lying!" Jun shrieked.

"I am not!" Tai protested as the girl glowered at him hostilely in disbelief. "Okay, I am, but that's not the point! That's part of the reason why I like you!"

"What?"

"What?" Tai echoed as the realization of what he had just said slowly filtered to his brain.

Jun was staring at him wide-eyed her face having lost all its color. Her mouth kept opening and closing as she tried to form words, but no sound was emitting.

"_Like!"_ Tai yelped mortified, struggling to explain. "As in how an astronaut likes space or a confectioner likes his cakes or—oh, shut up, you traitor!" he roared at the EKG machine that was monitoring his heartbeat and had begun beeping at an alarmingly fast pace.

Damn the morphine for loosening his tongue and dulling his senses that he had let his guard drop! Well, actually that wasn't true. His sudden proclamation had surprised him too.

They stared at each other in a stifling, uncomfortable, awkward silence that seemed to stretch for eons… then there came an almost inaudible knock at the door before it swung open slowly revealing the faces of four familiar people who looked into the room hesitantly as if afraid of what they might find.

Joe, Izzy, Davis and Kari.

Tai blanched at the sight of them. He sincerely hoped they hadn't heard his confession mere moments before—oh my god, he had freaking _confessed _to girl. In a hospital bed. In nothing but a _hospital gown._ He suddenly wished DarkTyrannomon had eaten him after all, because it would probably be even more embarrassing for him to give into the urge to crawl under the covers and never come out until adolescence had passed him by.

"Tai!" Kari gasped in relief at seeing her brother awake, his visage stark in contrast to what he had looked like the night before. Rushing over quickly, she restrained herself from throwing her arms around him and hugging him breathless—she still didn't know how bad his injuries were—and settled for slipping her hand into his. "You're alright!"

_That was a matter of opinion,_ Tai thought.

"Prodigious!" Izzy exclaimed, the worry receding from his face as he gave him a thumbs up and turned to Joe. "See, I told you he'd be fine."

"But, you were coughing up blood…" Joe said looking at Tai, still not entirely convinced.

"Bit my tongue," Tai mumbled feeling the heat pool in his cheeks as he glanced sideways out of the corners of his eyes at Jun still frozen by the doorway.

"Why are _you_ here?" Davis, who had been oddly quiet all this time, asked his sister harshly.

"Excuse me, twerp?" Jun cried snapping out of her daze. "What's with that rude tone?"

"Go away! You don't belong here!" Davis shouted at her angrily.

"Oh, I see, planning more of your monster meetings are you? Am I interrupting?" Jun replied mockingly. "Maybe I should sit in as an uninterested, neutral third party and give you all advice since last night proved how completely incompetent your little beastie friends are at tactics—"

"_HAVEN'T YOU DONE ENOUGH?"_

Davis' words seemed to vibrate off the walls. Jun stared at her brother startled by his violent exclamation before looking up and locking gazes with Tai. Something dawned in her eyes, a revelation known only to her, and a small, unrecognizable sound tumbled past her lips. It was a low, keening cry full of anguish that was quickly smothered as the girl turned and fled from the room.

"That wasn't nice, Davis," Tai said finally understanding. Jun had been ashamed. Ashamed that she had gotten him injured and had hidden it behind her anger. She _was _angry at him and had every right to be, but she was ashamed as well that he was stuck in a hospital because of her and Davis had shoved all the built-up guilt right in her face.

"Y-yeah? Well, she wasn't nice either! The hospital room was empty where she was supposed to be in and no one knew where was and she could have been d-dead… Mom and Dad are frantic looking everywhere for her and she's in here being as mean and snotty as usual!" Davis yelled his voice cracking in half as his shoulders started to shake uncontrollably.

"Davis," Kari said softly, her hand sliding out of her brother's grip as she went over to place her arms around the boy in gentle embrace. "It's okay—it's natural to be worried about your siblings…"

Only it wasn't, Tai realized. Not for Davis. His and Jun's relationship was far different from the rest of the Digidestined who had brothers or sisters. It must be a completely new experience for him and Davis was clueless on how to deal with it or how he should feel about it.

Davis turned away from them all as he tried to discreetly rub his eyes and with the exception of Kari who never took her arms from around him, they all pretended not to notice.

"So what's the diagnosis they have you in here for?" Izzy asked him going over to his bedside.

"Fractured spine," Tai admitted. "Apparently, I was lucky enough to _not_ break my legs and I still won't be able to play the last game of the season."

"Are they… par—?" Joe trailed off.

"Nope, I can move 'em," Tai said raising one knee up slightly from beneath the sheets. "I'm just going to be out of commission for the next couple of weeks."

"Ah, well, I didn't think you'd be well enough to go today anyway," Joe stated as if a puzzle had been solved.

"What do you mean? Where is everyone else?" Tai asked glancing around finding it strange and feeling a bit miffed that the others hadn't come. Not even Sora. Or Matt. Some best friends he had.

"It's not that they don't care—they all wanted to come," Izzy spoke up as if reading his mind. "But they're waiting in the park by Tokyo Bay for us to come back. We couldn't leave without checking up on you first."

"Leaving?" Tai repeated confused.

"Have you heard yet about all the Control Spires popping up all over the world?" Izzy asked.

Tai nodded.

"The portals to the Digital World where they came out have all closed so we have to go to each of their locations and open it with D-3," Izzy explained. "We're splitting up the teams. Each of us older Digidestined are going with one of the younger kids—well, except for T.K. He's going to Paris alone since you can't come, but he says he'll be alright, his granddad lives there."

"So, in other words, you guys get to go off on your world-tour leaving me alone and defenseless against a murderous soccer coach, did I get all that right?" Tai asked slightly irritated at himself for missing out on all the fun, although rampaging monsters terrifying innocent civilians should hardly be described as fun. Still, it was a chance to see other countries and he was going to miss it.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Agumon will protect you," Izzy laughed.

"Agumon!" Tai exclaimed as if a cloud had been brushed away from his brain. Then he felt terrible. He hadn't so much as given him a single thought all day—Agumon who had saved him. What a wonderful partner he was turning out to be. "Where is he? Is he alright?"

"He's staying over at Mr. Ishida's house," Izzy shared. "It was Matt's suggestion. I offered my place since my mom figured out about the whole Digimon-being-back thing watching the news, but Matt insisted. Mr. Ishida understands about Digimon too, so he'll take care of him until we get back."

Agumon wouldn't be any use without him, Tai realized with some chagrin and felt the first stirrings of contempt and disgust for his injury overtake him.

"It shouldn't take that long," Izzy continued on talking. "Not since Imperialdramon can travel really fast."

"Imperialdramon?"

"Paildramon's Mega form," Davis proclaimed turning back around to face them all with a proud expression, his whites of his eyes tinged red. "He digivolved today when Gennai gave us power from one of Azulongmon's Digi Cores!"

"Gennai? Digi Cores?" Tai's head was buzzing and dizziness swamped his senses all of a sudden. There was an annoying echo in the room…

"We'll explain later. Get some rest, Tai," Joe said spotting the fatigue that his friend was fighting. "The others will be glad to hear you're doing alright. You gave us all a scare last night."

"Kari," Tai said as his sister came to say good-bye. "Tell Agumon… he's the best partner in the whole, entire Digital World."

A smile broke out across Kari's face. "That will mean more to him than you know," she said promising she would.

"We better go. It's getting later every minute," Izzy said checking his watch.

Even with the medication causing extreme drowsiness and staving off most of the pain didn't douse the insane urge he had to rip the evil contraption off his friend's wrist and smash it against the wall. The only thing that stopped Tai was that his limbs felt too heavy at the moment and doubted he'd be fast enough to succeed.

"Yeah, we have to go save the world now! See you, sempai! Davis yelled excitedly. "Woo-hoo!"

_Unabashed little bragger,_ Tai thought as lifted a sluggish hand to return the farewell his friends and sister were waving from the doorway.

Then they were gone and he was alone and there were no more distractions to obstruct him from remembering what a complete fool he had made of himself spewing out a confession to Jun who had just been rejected by someone _she _had confessed to the night before.

He didn't even know if she liked him back.

Heck, he hadn't even known _he_ had liked her like that! But he must have, otherwise he never would have put himself in such a humiliating position.

Or would he? Maybe it had just been the effect of the morphine that had made him say that. Maybe he had been around her so long in so close a proximity tangled up in her wild schemes to snare Matt he had developed an unhealthy attraction to her—something similar to Stockholm Syndrome.

But that was merely wistful thinking, he knew. He was caught—hook, line and sinker by Jun Motomiya and what was crazy was that he didn't mind at all.

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

_Whatever future_  
_Comes, I'll not regret telling_  
_You I'm glad we met._

_To Be Continued...  
_

**A/N: **Wow, another chapter and I'm just as surprised as you guys. I hadn't expected Tai to confess this early! Don't you just love it when the characters take hold of the story and practically write it themselves? Oh, and I heard you know you're addicted to a fic if you start imagining scenarios between updates because you're too impatient to wait for the newest chapter. I mean, that's normal for me, I'm the author, but I wonder is that's true for some of you readers? Kekeke! X3

I had to research on spinal fractures before I posted this to make sure I was getting facts straight. There's a lot more different types than I thought and all of them vary on how the fracture can be caused and how serious it can be and where it's located in the spinal cord. I don't feel like reciting everything. I chose the Thoracic Compression Fracture because according to every website I looked up, it is the most common injury to the spine and pretty stable compared to the other types. It is also one of the few spinal fractures that you can avoid surgery if the injury wasn't too great. I was also going to have stitches on Tai's tongue, only when I did my research on that, apparently it really hurts to talk with those and you have to eat nothing but a baby food diet and the stitches don't come out for weeks. I also learned that the tongue is one of the fastest healing organs in the body and a cut can heal pretty quickly, so I just left it alone. Besides, I wanted Jun and Tai to have their talk. It's fun to write them banter with each other!^^ I give credit where it's due: one of my reviewers, **Alex Warlorn** left such a insightful review on ch.11 about Jun and Tai I couldn't resist paraphrasing it here when Jun's telling Tai what a jerk he is and Tai realizes how complicated their relationship is.

You know it's weird. Most anime love giving the birthdates and blood types of their characters, but Digimon is the exception I found out. I even tried cheating and looking up the V-Tamers manga which is an alternate universe of Digimon but Tai is still a main character. I figured they had given the characters blood types in their bios. They had… everyone single one except TAI! DX So I just looked up Japanese Blood Types in Wikipedia and decided from the personality traits shown on the chart that Tai was Type B and Jun may be Type O. Matt is definitely Type AB I think and Sora could be Type A. I'm still deciding over everyone else, but Davis is Type B too, haha! I took a blood type personality quiz to find out what I was: apparently, I'm the "loose canon" Type AB. I switch moods a lot—that's true. So looks like I'm stuck in the same square as Matt. XD Look it up, try it out yourselves—it's fun!

Fun Facts: This fic has now finally received more stats than **Reboot**. Whoa. And out of all the chapters I have written so far, Ch. 6 has twice as many hits showing up on my stats. I take it you all like to go back and reread the Haiku God's Divine Poetry, ne?^w~ And like I said before in the interlude, this fic is far from over. This story follows the 02 timeline remember? We got a ways to go yet. Music to listen to while reading this chapter? Can the title be any less obvious? Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows all the way!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	14. Just To Let You Know I Care

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 13 Just To Let You Know I Care**

Tai supposed he must have dozed off soon after his incredible epiphany for the next thing he knew he was waking up groggily and his mom was sitting by his bedside again.

"Such a shame you have to spend Christmas in the hospital, Taichi, but at least my baby is alive and safe and sound," Yuuko simpered once she saw he was awake, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger in a motherly gesture.

"_Mooom_… not in front of the nurses," Tai hissed, his eyes sliding to the two young women in white uniforms, one of whom was replacing his IV bag with a new dosage of painkillers and the other waiting with a tray of food she had just brought in. Both of them giggled appearing immensely amused and Tai wondered if he had a sign stamped across his forehead reading "Taichi Kamiya: Perfect Target For Females To Practice Embarrassing Techniques On."

"Ah, ah, I understand. My little boy is trying to be brave and strong in face of adversity!" Yuuko nodded growing teary-eyed as she ruffled his hair. "He has such a noble heart!"

"Just kill me now," Tai muttered pulling the sheets over his face as the nurses broke out into full-fledged tittering and whispering between themselves.

"Oh, I forgot! Kari asked me to give these to you on her way out," Yuuko exclaimed and it was with great reluctance but curiosity that he drew the sheets away to see two familiar objects in his mother's hands.

His digivice and D-Terminal.

"Are you still playing these video games, Taichi-kun?" Yuuko chided disapprovingly. "You're sixteen and only have one year of high school left. You should be focusing more on your studies, not on senseless things that will get you nowhere in life!"

If she only had just a _smidgeon_ of an idea of just how far the digivice took her son…

He had a chance to look at them once the nurses left the room after giving him another check-up and when his mother took a break to use the restroom. Flipping the cover of the D-Terminal up, he checked to see if he had any messages and found several waiting.

**Hey, Tai, sorry for not coming to see you in the hospital, but Izzy insisted we had some of the older kids stay behind with the younger ones to "guard" Imperialdramon—as if we could successfully pull off hiding something the size of Godzilla. I suppose I **_**am**_** the only option left since the brainiacs of the original group are all over there with you and if I went too that would mean leaving the **_**girls**_** in charge. I shudder to imagine—ow! Okay they both just hit me for that. **

**-Matt**

**I am perfectly capable of taking charge too! I can so lead! I've done it before and I was wonderful!**

**-Mimi**

**Actually, I don't think you should put down your experience at Shogungekomon's castle as your best example^^;;**

**-Sora**

**Sure, make **_**one**_** little mistake and people never fail to dredge it back up later! You can't deny that I was a stellar singer though. I should be the pop star not Matt! What's wrong with this picture?**

**-Mimi**

**Well, Matt **_**can **_**compete with you in the feminine appeal department. He may even be better at it. :)**

**-Sora**

**Until he's man enough to embrace pink in all its power he's got nothing! Nothing! XP**

**-Mimi**

**The day I wear pink is the day I become an astronaut! DX How did we even get off on this subject anyway?**

**-Matt**

**You were being a male chauvinist pig and we had to knock you down a peg.**

**-Sora**

**I was not! Oi, Yolei, fetch me some Aquafina would you?**

**-Matt**

**Hey, Tai, this is Sora. Matt got nailed by a bottle of water to the head. He may be joining you at the hospital, who knows^-~ Anyway, we were going to talk to you on the phone, but Joe called on the way out and said you looked really tired. So, we thought we'd chat this way even though you probably won't see it until we're off. I'm glad you're alright. I think what you did was really brave. **

**Reckless but really brave. **

**-Sora**

**Be wide awake and ready to boast about your injuries gained by heroic actions when we come back!^w^**

**-Yolei**

**Please hurry and get better, Tai. They say it's every man's dream to be surrounded by girls but they don't realize what a nightmare it is in reality. They're abusive and domineering. ;3;  
**

**-Matt**

**Haha! He just got hit by three more water bottles! XD Girl power!**

**-Mimi**

**We would just like to state for the record that we dislike being incorrectly categorized as girls. Get well soon, Tai!**

**-T.K., Ken and Cody**

Tai felt a grin stretch across his face and a warm glow kindle in his chest as he read the messages. The hurt, shunned sensation he had felt earlier when the rest of his friends hadn't come along to see him was swept away at the words printed out on the D-Terminal's screen. He had known beforehand that they did care even if they hadn't shown up but a little verbal acknowledgement was nice to stomp on that creeping doubt every now and then.

**Hey guys, **he wrote, typing a return message, **I expect a lots presents and souvenirs when you get back. I deserve them after all! Can't wait to show you all my horrific battle scars! :)**

**P.S. Serves you right, Matt, you male chauvinist pig you. XP**

**-Tai**

The phone on the wall beside his bed rang interrupting him. Tai picked it up, assuming it was for him since the line was assigned to this particular room, however he was at a loss for who it could be. His friends were all thousands of miles away by now in different countries and as far as he knew, they didn't have international calling on their cell phone plans. He supposed it could be one of soccer teammates or—he shuddered—the coach himself, but instead he was greeted by a gruff baritone voice.

"Hey, kid, heard you weren't faring so well last night. You doing alright now?"

"Mr. … Ishida?" Tai asked.

"Someone here is eager to talk to you," the man chuckled before another voice piped up, "Tai? Tai, is that you?"

"Agumon!" Tai exclaimed happily.

His partner sounded just as excited to hear his voice too. "Tai, I was so worried!" Agumon cried. "They took you away in one of those white Ambulancemon and no one knew what had happened to you!"

Tai recalled his parents being just as confused as to what hospital he had been taken to as well. "I'm fine, Agumon, don't worry. You saved me, remember? Thanks, buddy."

"But I was almost too late," Agumon said sounding distraught. "It was just like before—when you all first came to the Digital World and we couldn't digivolve until the last moment and our partners had to defend us in the meantime. I've become completely useless!"

So Agumon was feeling the brunt of his power being diminished. Perhaps Tai wasn't as alone in his feelings of regret and resentment towards the Digital Sovereigns as he had thought.

"Agumon, you're not useless," Tai said firmly. "I don't know how or why, but this is just temporary. You'll get your power back someday. Maybe all this happened for a reason. Maybe now, the younger kids will realize they can't hold back all their strength in battle simply because the Digimon they're fighting is real. You showed them what they have to do."

"You didn't have to almost _die_ for me to do that!"

"Would you have destroyed DarkTyrannomon otherwise then?" Tai asked quietly. "If I hadn't been in mortal danger?"

Agumon was silent for a few moments. "No," he admitted in a sullen tone. "Not if there was no need to. I would have just sent him back through the gateway."

"See? So the lesson was harsh and taught the hard way, but it was learned nonetheless," Tai said. "And I survived, so please stop beating yourself up over this. You did all you could at the time."

"Tai…" Agumon questioned hesitantly. "Where do humans go when they die?"

Tai faltered. He hadn't much thought about it. It wasn't something kids thought about. In fact, Takashi-sensei often remarked to the class that it wasn't until they were out of their teenage years that people stopped and look around and realized they weren't immortal. But it did happen. People died. Everyday. He saw it on the news. In the newspaper. Even at school: a boy in Mimi's class. It had been a horrible car accident. One day he was alive and there and the next day… he wasn't.

Death was quick and snuffed life out like a candle. Humans had grown to accept this fact—that there was no escaping it. Perhaps that's why people tried to live life to the fullest. To make the most out of it before their turn came.

People knew they would die one day, but as to where they went once they died…

"Tai?" Agumon asked again.

"I… I don't know," Tai said. "It's not something we talk about much. Some say there's nothing afterwards. Some say you'll go to heaven. Others say you'll be reincarnated—have a new face, a new name, a new life. There's lots of different theories."

"But, but, if you're someone else, how will I be able to find you?" Agumon cried.

_Oh,_ Tai thought realizing the reason why his partner sounded so distressed. It must have been quite a grim revelation for a Digimon to have.

"Agumon, I think I know why humans don't like talking about Death," he said. "There's no real answer to it and if you think about it too much, you'll drive yourself crazy. But I promise you I won't be dying any time soon. This is now and I'm right here and I swear nothing will ever break the bond we share, not even Death, alright?"

"T-Tai," Agumon spoke. There came a deep intake of breath on the end as if the small dinosaur had just sniffled heavily. "I don't want to live without you."

"I know, Agumon," Tai said softly. "The same goes for you."

They eventually moved on to other topics: Tai's spinal fracture, Mr. Ishida's cooking which was almost as bad as bad as Mrs. Kamiya's it seemed, wondering how the others were doing on their grand world tour adventures, but the conversation remained there at the back of their minds never fully fading from remembrance. It would stay there, Tai guessed, for a long, long time.

oOo

The sun was setting in the horizon, its rays filtering through his window to dye the white walls of his hospital room a splendid golden color. It was this time yesterday that Tai remembered he had been sitting on a bench waiting for the results of Jun's confession to Matt. It seemed like decades had passed considering he had confessed to her himself not mere hours ago. A confession to which she hadn't even graced him with a reply.

_She could have a least rejected me with a 'Hell no!'_ Tai thought stirring the gunk on the plate the nurse had brought him that they had the audacity to label as dinner.

He didn't know what to think of this weird silence with no word whatsoever from her. Okay, so she had been rather wrapped up in anger and guilt the last time he had seen her, but still… he had fully expected a phone call with her screeching insults at him by now.

The sound of snoring reached his ears and Tai looked at his dad who had switched places with his mom while she had gone "home to cook him a decent meal". Hmm, actually, this hospital food wasn't quite so bad after the first few gags.

Tai recalled how he had felt when Sora and Matt hadn't come and seen him and how happy he had been to receive their messages. Maybe he should be the one to take the initiative.

He wouldn't have done it if it was his mother there instead, even if it looked like she was sleeping. The woman had ears like a hawk and eyes in the back of her head. However, his dad appeared to be sleeping heavily going by the thundering depth of his snores.

Picking up the phone off its receiver, he called Jun's cell number, his fingers fairly flying over the buttons as he dialed from memory.

"Moshi, moshi," she answered after the fourth ring, J-pop music blasting in the background.

"Uh," Tai drawled not sure what he should say. He honestly hadn't expected her to pick up the phone. "Hey… it's me," he finally said as if it weren't obvious. "Listen, about earlier today—"

"What? Hold on, I can't hear you. You're gonna have to speak up. Me and my friends are doing karaoke!" Jun practically shouted into the phone as the music blared impossibly louder.

Well, it was nice to know that the girl wasn't off somewhere wallowing in churning vestiges of _guilt. _

"I _said,"_ Tai yelled as loudly as he dared so as not to wake his dad, "about earlier today—"

"PSYCH!" Jun shrieked laughing crazily. "This is my voicemail, _sucker!_ Hahahaha! God, I can't believe you _fell_ for that whoever you are! Leave a message at the tone. Nya, nya!"

_BEEEEP!_

_Why that, that no-good … porcupine-head!_ Tai thought irritated.

"Oh, so very clever," Tai snapped at the recording system. "But I've heard better ones bef—"

"Omigawd, did you fall for that one too?" Jun's voice popped up again startling him. "That beep was from the microwave! Just how gullible are you? Here's the real one, _baka! _Hahahaha! If you actually leave a message after this, maybe you're worth talking to after all!"

_BEEEEP!_

"Okay, that last part was pretty good," Tai admitted smiling in spite of himself. "Anyway, Jun, about earlier… I hope I didn't scare you or anything. I mean, don't take 'like' so literally. I just meant that you used to freak me out. A lot. And now you don't . Well, not as much. I mean," he said hastily, feeling like he was failing to get his point across. "I don't mind that you still freak me out. It's perfectly fine if you want to. Not that I think you do it on purpose… some of the time. I mean—I don't know what I mean. Look, I totally don't blame you on what happened. I would have done it again even if I knew I'd end up in here, okay? So please, keep on being psychotic and obsessive. Because you're awesome like that. Gah!" Tai yelped at his slip. "See? You can use 'like' that way too! Um… bye!"

He hung up hurriedly, practically slamming the phone back on the receiver and buried his flaming face in his hands. God, that had not gone the way he had wanted to at all. Could that have been any more humiliating?

A sniffle echoed throughout the room and Tai looked up to his dad wiping away a tear that trickled down his cheek as he beamed watery-eyed at him.

"That sounded just like the phone call I made when I first started dating your mother," Susumu Kamiya stated fondly, clapping his son heartily on the shoulder. "She cooked me a meal that gave me food poison and sent me straight to the ER, but it was worth it! That's my boy!"

Unsurprisingly, this piece of news did not make Tai feel any better of course.

oOo

Sunset had long gone, twilight was fading, and night was coming in. From his window, Tai could see the city's lights twinkling like a thousand fireflies. Since it was Christmas, a lot of couples were probably out on dates and friends were having parties. He wondered what it would have been like if he hadn't been stuck in the hospital. If Matt's concert hadn't been attacked, Control Spires hadn't mysteriously sprung up all over the world and everyone had rushed off to bring them down. Would they all be celebrating together? Or would have Mimi and Joe and Sora and Matt wanted their romantic night out? Would he… have still confessed to Jun? Probably not. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing at the moment though.

The door to his room slid slightly ajar and Tai wondered why his dad coming back so soon from the need to stretch his legs as he claimed. He had only left minutes ago. Personally, Tai had expected him to get lost and not be back for a while. Susumu was abysmal with directions and reading kanji.

"Yo," greeted a familiar figure with a head of spiky chestnut hair as she stepped through the doorway.

Jun stood there, a few paces from his bed, looking distinctively uncomfortable as she fidgeted most uncharacteristically, both arms behind her back as she gnawed her bottom lip.

"Interesting voicemail you have," Tai spoke first breaking the ice.

"Isn't it?" Jun laughed a bit nervously. "Well, it wards off undesirable phone calls, I'll tell you that. Interesting message you left too."

"Yeah," Tai said, his mind drawing a blank at what else to say.

"Yeah," Jun echoed as she idly scuffed her shoe across the floor's surface.

Neither of them mentioned his "confession" from earlier, if that even what it was.

"Well, I thought you might be hungry and if you really want to get better you have to eat some decent food, so I brought you this!" Jun explained in a rush, whipping out something from her back.

A sealed clear, plastic container that was filled with familiar white noodles, light-brown broth and an egg floating in the middle.

"I didn't make it 'cause I didn't go home, but I when I got your message I just happened to be near this udon shop so I went it and bought some so it's fresh and well now that I know that you like it…" Jun trailed off appearing embarrassed.

Tai could feel the stupid, idiotic grin spreading out across his face, but couldn't stop it and really didn't want to either.

"Oh, just be thankful and eat it!" Jun huffed catching sight of his expression and flung the chopsticks at him narrowly missing on poking out one of his eyes.

The pointy ends bounced off his forehead instead leaving indent marks.

Tai was a firm believer in the saying, "love hurts."

oOo

"I guess I should have listened to you when you said I needed to tone down my hyperactive tendencies and glomping attacks, huh?" Jun stated rather morosely as she sat by his bedside.

"I believe I threw 'obsessive stalking' in there too," Tai said as he took a big mouthful of noodles. Oh yes, so much better than hospital food and a zillion times better than anything his mom made. Best damn food invention on earth.

"You know, I've received the whole 'it's not you, it's me' speech so many times before, but this time it really hurt," Jun admitted with a sigh, placing her elbows on her knees and resting her chin between her hands.

"Wasn't it you who once said 'no one dumps Jun Motomiya, Jun Motomiya dumps them?'" Tai pointed out.

Jun glared at him. "My, you certainly have a clear mind this visit. They must be cutting down on your dosage. Sure, they may have started to dump me, but as soon as I heard those words, I made sure to cut them off and dump them first. The situation reversed on them so fast, they never knew what hit them, haha!

"But you didn't this time?"

"No," Jun said seeming to curl inward on herself. "I wanted to know what he didn't like about me. Why I was so unappealing to him. He didn't even give me a reason at first. He just said he didn't feel that way about me. That I was wasting my time pursuing him. That he would never feel the same way about me that I did for him. So I pressed him until he finally admitted I was too psychotic and obsessive for his taste and quite frankly, I frightened him."

"You know, you're not really psychotic and obsessive. You're just a bit too… over-enthusiastic at times. You push too hard, even when something is supposed to be fun," Tai said recalling Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts. "You need to relax sometimes. Really relax."

"Che, fine advice from the guy who struck out with the girl he had a crush on," Jun lashed out.

Tai's jaw muscles stopped chewing as he paused with the chopsticks halfway to his lips.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry!" Jun cried gripping her hair. "See? I say things without thinking and I hurt people! That's probably another reason why Matt doesn't like me! I must sicken him! No wonder he chose Psycho Sora instead! She's probably a lot nicer! And she knows how to act feminine too! Not as well as Shortcake, but she's way better at it than me! Is that why my relationships don't last? Are guys really scared off by my behavior? Augh!"

Jun appeared to be on the verge of having a nervous break down.

_Just tell me what you want and I'll change! _Jun's words from that day in Matt's trailer came sharply back to Tai's memory.

"Don't ever change who you are, Jun," Tai said abruptly. "Don't turn yourself into something you're not just for someone else's sake. Know your true self and don't be ashamed. Maybe… I did like Sora once. But the person I admired isn't there anymore... she's changed into someone unrecognizable."

No more soccer-playing tomboy. No more seeing who could out-belch each other. No more climbing trees or racing bikes. No more trading insults over her stupid hat and his useless goggles. His friend had changed, evolved into a strange creature called female and his feelings along with her. Only she wasn't the same person anymore and he hadn't been sure which version of her he had started to form an attraction to. But now… now it was all becoming clearer.

Jun looked at him and laughed shakily. "You know, you have a real way with words even if they're not true in the slightest. You should forget soccer and go into politics. You'd rock the government right out from under this country's nose."

"Jun…" Tai said, putting the hand that still held his chopsticks down seeing that the girl was trying to change the subject. He hadn't been able to get through to her. "Ah!" he hissed all of a sudden at the pain that flared up in it.

"What's wrong?" Jun asked in a voice that actually sounded concerned.

"Ah, it's the IV needle. It sticks me every time I move my arm," Tai frowned, rubbing his hand lightly over the bandaged spot where the IV was inserted into vein. It had to be his _right _arm too. Like the hospital staff was _trying_ to make eating their food even more of a torture than it already was. Now, he had a bowl of delicious soup in front of him and it was a trial just getting the noodles to his mouth.

"Such a baby," Jun remarked, her catch-phrase of the day it seemed, and grabbed the bowl of udon and chopsticks from his grasp.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Tai squawked as Jun shoved the chopsticks full of noodles in his face.

"Going by my experience, men who don't eat are grouchy, grouchy, grouchy!" Jun declared. "Plus, I did go out of my way and buy this for you so you better eat every last drop!"

"I thought you said you just _happened_ to be near an udon shop," Tai stated slyly with a smirk.

Jun force-fed him the first mouthful of noodles rather vindictively. Her indignant blush was worth the choking though.

"Taichi-sempai! We're back!" Davis' voice rang out excitedly as the door was pushed open wide to reveal the entire group of Digidestined fresh from their trip around the world. "Merry Christm—AH!"

Tai wasn't sure who was more surprised. Him caught with a mouthful of noodles trailing out of his lips wrapped about the ends of the chopsticks that Jun was holding as she returned everyone's stare coolly and defiantly as if daring anyone to make a comment.

Or the rest of his friends who were gaping bug-eyed at the scene in front of them like they had just stepped into an episode from the Twilight Zone.

It would have continued like that for all eternity, Tai supposed, but Mimi happened to be the only one with sense enough to shut the door to give them privacy.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOLEMON WAS _THAT?"_ he heard Davis scream from behind the closed door.

"Hush, we'll tell you when you're older," Mimi's voice drifted through followed by several amused giggles.

Tai swallowed the mouthful of noodles as his and Jun's eyes met.

"You'd think they'd be less surprised by now every time they see us together," Jun stated casually.

"I know right?" Tai agreed. "Seriously."

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

Tsukimi Udon  
Tastes good, but more so by the  
Person who feeds you.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Sorry for the long delay in updating. I didn't have Writer's Block. I knew exactly what this chapter was going to have in it and I know where this fic is going to end, however, I have been utterly exhausted these past three weeks by work and any free time I had, my brain was too tired to string sentences together. You know, it's tiring trying to think up the words to type out the scenes in your head just right so everyone can see it the way you do. Agh! So here it is. I really don't know what else to put in this author's note other than Jun and Tai haven't finished their talk yet. It'll come up later along with how they really feel about each other. If you're still wondering, yes, they are both in total denial that the "confession" happened. Maybe Tai will do a more eloquent one in later chaps, ne?^w~

And if you're wondering what the Digidestined are doing back so soon since they only left that morning. Um, you do realize the Digi World Tour arc may have been spread out for us fans for several weeks, but in reality, they were only gone for a couple of hours real time. The show made it clear they were back to celebrate Christmas with their families. Imperialdramon can move in the blink of an eye remember. "Beam me up, Scotty." He's that fast. Don't worry, they'll all relate their adventures to Tai later on. And for those who feel Tai was cheated out of meeting Catherine, remember the fic is not over until the end of 02. And I seem to recall all the DD of the world coming together and Catherine was there too. I'm sure I could handle a little meeting between them. That should make things interesting, hehe^^

Fun Facts: I listened to "What The Hell" by Avril Lavigne during Jun's voicemail message. Hahaha! Who didn't love that? The girl is crazy! XD And during the whole Jun and Tai talking all the way to the end I listened to "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. And I'll have you know, I am saving that song for another scene with them much later on, muwahaha! What else inspire me to finally type up this latest chapter? Probably from watching _Tangled_ so many times. Totally not ashamed of admitting that. Oh, and a Japanese drama I'd never seen before. _Kurosagi. _It's not new, but I'd know I'd love it because Maki Horikita is in it and she's my favorite Japanese actress. X3

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	15. With You

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 14 With You**

"So, anyway, even without you there we still would have stood a sporting chance against the other team except then Asama got struck down with the flu and—"

"Then you were out of your best striker and goalie," Tai finished with a heavy sigh as lay under the covers of his bed with his back propped up against multiple pillows.

"Hey, don't go getting a swelled head!" Sano mock-warned him. "I turned out to be an okay striker. It's mostly Kitagawa's fault for letting all the other team's balls pass into the net! He needed more time training."

"So'd how Coach take our loss?" Tai inquired.

"You'll never believe this," Sano sniggered stifling laughter in his throat as he remembered.

"Come on, what?" Tai urged his curiosity now piqued.

"You know, afterwards, where everyone bows to the other team for a game well-played and the coaches shake hands?" Sano said drawing out the tale as slow as possible.

"Yeah?"

"Well, Coach sucker-punched the other guy under the jaw, snatched the trophy out of the presenter's hands and tried to make a wild break for it across the field! He got tackled by all four refs before he'd gone even halfway. He was kicking and cussing up a storm—they had to sedate him and took him away in a strait jacket, hahaha!" Sano crowed, laughing so hard he started to hiccup.

"You're joking!" Tai exclaimed in amazement. The story sounded too incredible to be true. No, actually, knowing his coach, it sounded too incredible _not_ to be true.

"Hahaha—n-no, I'm not!" Sano managed to gasp out. "Call anyone, they'll tell you the same. Or better yet, read today's Sports section, here!" Digging into his backpack, the boy dug out a newspaper already carefully folded back to the correct page and thrust it into Tai's face.

**Should We Be Concerned For The Morals Our Children Are Taught At Odaiba High? School Coach Goes Psycho! **the headlines boldly read.

Underneath was a picture of the soccer coach being restrained by four people in black and white striped uniforms and beside him was a medical personnel on his knees administering a thick syringe into the irate man's bulging neck-vein.

"I. Am. So. Framing. This. _Whoo, baby!"_ Tai whooped gleefully, the newspaper in his hands beginning to shake from his excitement. They said every cloud has a silver lining. Well, he had just discovered his from not being able to play for awhile.

"Go ahead and keep that one," Sano offered generously. "All the guys already have their copies. Just thought you'd like to be up-to-date."

"You're the best teammate _ever!"_ Tai exclaimed a wide grin plastered across his face.

Music filled the air as his cell phone went off. Picking it up, his heart skipped a beat as he saw the number.

"Ooh, three guesses who that is and the first two don't count," Sano ribbed teasingly at his friend's complexion that had flared red suddenly.

"Shut up!" Tai glared at him.

"I think I better take my leave now," Sano said rising up from his cross-legged position on the floor. "The saying 'bros before…' well, you know, is _so _untrue."

"Just get out!" Tai snapped anxious to answer before the caller hung up. They were already on their fourth ring.

"I'm hurt, man, seriously," Sano sniffled, clutching at his chest as he pretended to stagger to the door. "I'm never talking to you again, you friend-shirker—"

Tai nailed him with a pillow to the head on his way out.

"Jun?" he said as soon as he was alone.

"What took you so long?" Jun asked, however he was heartened to hear there was only curiosity in her tone with no shred of anger at all.

"Ah, one of my teammates was here giving me the 411 on Coach's mental break-down at the Tokyo Soccer Stadium," Tai explained looking fondly at the picture again.

"Oh, I saw that in the newspaper too! Someone made copies and wallpapered the whole school with them!" Jun giggled.

"Sano forgot to mention_ that_," Tai said imagining the scene. "I wonder, oh wonder who the culprit bold enough to do that could be?"

"Oi, oi, what's with that suspicious tone?" Jun questioned. "I only use photographs as blackmail when needed. What could I possibly gain from posting a picture already made public?"

"You're so right—it couldn't have been you. There's no profit in that action whatsoever," Tai stated.

"Glad we're beginning to understand each other," Jun said with what sounded like a trace of laughter in her voice.

A short silence stretched between them as the conversation lagged as both struggled to think of something else to say, but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. In fact, Tai felt that he would be interested in anything Jun had to say, whether it be discussing the metamorphosis of caterpillars or the hydrological cycle. He had no idea when listening to the sound of her voice had become his favorite past time rather than J-Rock, but he found he didn't mind the change at all.

"Hey," Jun finally spoke up. "I was wondering… if maybe I could come over later…"

"Oh, uh, actually, the Digidest—I mean, my friends are coming over later," Tai said stumbling over the words, trying to find the right way break the news lightly. Jun still got a little rankled whenever he used the term 'Digidestined' or 'Chosen Children', as if she was being shunned or purposefully excluded.

"I see," Jun said stiffly.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind if you came over!" Tai rushed to explain hurriedly. "It's just we're going to try and figure out who or what this unseen enemy is that we're up against exactly and planning our next move and—"

"And I'll only be in the way," Jun finished, the now-familiar sound of irritation creeping back into her tone.

"No! I just know you're not comfortable around them yet and I don't want them to upset you!" Tai cried before he could stop himself.

"Oh," Jun said and now she sounded surprised, embarrassed and… _pleased_ all at once and Tai was amazed he could read all that from one uttered syllable. "Oh, alright then. I'll call you later, then, okay?"

"Okay," Tai said staying on line intending to wait until he heard her hang up.

The _click _never came.

"Are you still on?" Jun demanded.

"Yeah," Tai admitted smiling.

"Well, hang up!"

"Ladies first."

"You're so annoying!"

"Ditto."

"I'm really hanging up now!"

"Fine by me."

A few more seconds passed.

"Should I hum elevator music for you?" Tai asked.

"You wouldn't _dare!"_ Jun shrieked.

Tai's response was to promptly launch into an off-key serenade of The Llama Song.

"NOOOO, STOOOOP!" Jun wailed. _"You're so evil!"_

"I do a pretty good rendition of This Is The Song That Never Ends too," Tai confessed.

"Earbud-murderer!" Jun screeched into the receiver, but she still didn't hang up.

So he was unwittingly caught giving a special performance when his friends walked in unannounced. He only noticed them halfway through the seventh repeated verse when a snicker was badly stifled and he jerked his head around to spot the older Digidestined plus his sister standing grouped in the doorway, amused smirks plastered across their faces.

"Don't you guys know how to _knock?"_ he exclaimed embarrassed, breaking out of song and feeling his cheeks burn.

"Oh, are they there now?" Jun's voice drifted into his ear on the phone sounding resigned… and disappointed.

"Ah, yes, call you later, alright?" Tai said turning his face away quickly so the others wouldn't see his face ignite a deeper color.

"Alright," Jun said quietly.

Tai couldn't stop the swell of disappointment he felt himself when the phone's audible _click_ was heard and their connection cut off.

"'Sup, everyone?" he drawled as he snapped his cell phone shut and lay back against the pillows with what he hoped was an air of casualness.

"Wow, Tai, the Otamamon and Gekomon did tell me you about your singing, but I had no idea you sounded like _that!"_ Mimi tittered, hiding her smile behind her hand.

"Yeah, Tai has a great singing voice, doesn't he?" an orange blur cried as it flung itself forward and tackled him on the bed.

"Agumon!" Tai shouted happily as he hugged his partner that he hadn't seen in over two weeks. They had only been able to talk to each other via phone.

"Mmm," the small dinosaur nuzzled his snout into Tai's chest and breathed in his scent deeply. "You should ask Matt to let you sing one of the songs he stole from you. You deserve to get some credit after all!"

"What?" Matt asked, cocking a disbelieving eyebrow at the statement.

"Ahahahaha!" Tai laughed nervously, clapping his partner warningly on the back. "I really don't know what he's talking about. Digimon say the darnest things sometimes, don't they?"

"But Tai, you said—" Agumon started to protest confused.

"Hungry! I know you're hungry!" Tai interjected quickly. "Who else is hungry? I know I am! Kari, go get us some of Mom's delicious pickled beet soufflé!"

"Let the Digimon speak, Tai. I'd think we all like to hear what he has to say," Matt said crossing his arms appearing keenly interested.

"Oh, i-it's nothing, really," Agumon said catching on far too late. "I just think Tai has talent, that's all."

"Oh, he has talent, alright," Matt said dryly, but his expression looked more amused than anything else.

"Okay, okay, let's get down to business," Izzy spoke briskly taking the only chair available in the room, the one in front of the computer desk. The others made do with sitting on the floor. The rather, neat and spacious floor.

"Wow, Tai, your room is actually tidy for once," Sora said glancing about impressed.

"I'm setting a new trend for myself," Tai shrugged. "It's my New Year's Resolution."

"Mom cleans it," Kari supplied helpfully.

"Ratting out your own brother, how could you?" Tai scowled giving her a dirty look.

"Don't worry, I had a sneaking suspicion anyway," Sora chuckled.

"It's horrible!" Tai admitted frustrated. "Everything's so in order and perfect and I can't find anything! At least when it was messy I knew where things were!"

"You do realize what an oxymoron that is, right?" Izzy said.

"Hey, I was just making a point! There's no need to insult me!" Tai yelled.

It was when the others collapsed into a gigantic laughing fit that Tai made a mental memo to himself to brush up on his dictionary reading. When even Mimi got a word like that and not him, he knew it was time to study.

"So, where is everyone else?" he asked wondering where the younger members of the team were, hoping to change the subject.

"T.K. and Cody are in the Digital World right now looking for Arukeniemon and Mummymon, while Davis, Ken, and Yolei are searching for them here," Kari said. "They were the ones responsible for the Control Spires popping up all over the world and Ken says he's positive she has something more sinister up her sleeve. He thinks she set the whole thing up as one big diversion to distract us."

"A diversion…" Tai echoed. "From what?"

"From whatever she's really planning," Kari said. "He hasn't said it out loud, but I think he's worried about the one controlling her, the one Azulongmon told us was our true enemy. And… something else happened too…"

"T.K. said that Mom met a man who told her that 'what happened five years ago isn't over yet'," Matt shared, a small frown-line etching its way across his forehead at the disturbing piece of news. "Apparently, they had met before when Myotismon had taken over the city and by the questions she says he asked, it looks like he knew or at least suspected that the Highton View Terrace Incident was no mere bombing either."

Tai really didn't like the sound of all this. "Was he… human?" he asked tentatively.

"That's what T.K. asked Mom and she claims he was," Matt said, the frown-line not disappearing. Maybe Tai should warn him about his beauty complexion in danger of being marred.

"So does that mean whoever is behind the curtain can control humans too?" Tai wondered.

"If they can, that definitely does not bode well for us," Izzy declared. "However, I think we're missing the bigger picture here. What if the human, whoever he is, has aligned himself with the enemy out of his own free will? Worse, what if he isn't the only human? What if there are more out there taking sides against us?"

"But why?" Mimi cried after a few horrified moments of silence. "Why would any human do that? Aren't they usually too appalled and frightened of Digimon to even stick around once they see one?"

"No," Matt spoke up suddenly, his tone hard and laced with a tinge of regret. "No. Some humans are too curious for their own good. And some Digimon… can be very persuasive with their words…" The blond looked up, blue eyes clashing eyes with Tai's brown, before he looked away albeit ashamed and Tai knew he was remembering Cherrymon.

"I don't like saying this, but we may have to fight humans as well as Digimon in the future," Izzy stated grimly. "We might want to prepare ourselves for that day."

It was a dark and foreboding revelation and Tai wondered if everyone else's stomach besides his own was curdling at the thought… although, that could also be his mother's miso soup-in-a-bowl-nine-days-old that he had eaten for breakfast earlier.

"Tai," Agumon murmured lowly. The small dinosaur was curled up against his side with his head in his lap and his limbs sprawled possessively over his partner much in resemblance of a hairless cat. "I understand why Digimon fight each other, but why would humans want to hurt their own kind? All the ones I know are really nice. Do some have a Virus in them too?"

"Yes, Agumon," Tai said, a lump growing in the back of his throat as he thought of the violent crimes broadcasted daily on tv. Robbery, rape, murder, countries ravaged by wars… "Some humans have a Virus in them too."

There really wasn't much left for the Digidestined to discuss afterwards and with only thin speculation for them to go on, they had a difficult time coming up with any sort of plan at all. Their quest for ideas turning up fruitless and combined with the heat of the room made only hotter by the mass of bodies inside only soon created an undesirable, irritable atmosphere.

"Guys, guys, can we take this brain-storming fest outside, please?" Tai pleaded finally and received astonished stares his direction.

"Are you… allowed?" Joe asked hesitantly.

"I'm not a complete invalid, I can walk!" Tai scowled sourly, flinging the covers off him and swinging his legs over the side of the bed.

His attempt to stand up was met with a surge of out-stretched hands that pushed him back onto the mattress along with a flurry of objections.

"Stop! Are you crazy?"

"You shouldn't be moving so abruptly—it's not healthy or safe!"

"Don't be so hot-headed you put your recovery at risk!"

"Guys, it's fine!" Tai shouted, swatting aside their restraining hands. "As long as I wear this brace-thingie, I'm supposed to increase my physical activity! I'm sure a walk around the block is not going to kill me!"

His skills of arguing were becoming very convincing of late going by how he had successfully managed to make everyone back away and eye him over thoughtfully. Maybe he should look into this politician role that Jun had suggested later on… just for fun, of course.

"The doctors said bed rest for three weeks," Kari pointed out. "It's only been two."

"Two and a half," Tai glowered at her.

His sister chewed her lip contemplatively while the others appeared to be teetering on the verge of giving in.

Tai sighed wearily, crossed his heart and raised his left hand. "I swear I won't go rushing off to the rescue if there's a building on fire, an outbreak of plague or any rogue Digimon trashing the city, alright?"

His pledge seemed to have mollified his friends whose faces broke out into smiles. Kari still looked worried, but she relented nevertheless. "Okay, Tai, I trust you," she said before turning to the others. "Just make sure we enclose him in a circle so he won't be tempted."

"Hey, my _back_ is hurt not my ears!" Tai yelled.

oOo

It was quite a refreshing experience to walk freely in the crisp, wintry air. The only exercise he had been getting lately was treading around the apartment from his room to the kitchen, living room or bathroom. He had even taken to counting the exact number he could pace back and forth in his bedroom. It was approximately fourteen paces from his bed to the window and eleven and a half from his closet to the door. He had never thought he would be so sick of seeing the walls of his own room. He had even turned his soccer posters around so he could doodle on the back of them just for a change of scenery. Everything was exciting for him from the gum stuck on the sidewalk to railing fenced around the trees. He would never take anything for granted ever again!

"Tai, are you _skipping?" _Sora asked incredulously.

"No," Tai said a little too quickly stopping in place to plant both his feet firmly on the ground.

"Those were some great moves there, twinkletoes," Matt snickered.

"Just because my spine is fractured doesn't mean my fists have lost their ability to give you a knuckle-sandwich," Tai growled.

"You really shouldn't be jostling your spine up and down like that anyway," Joe frowned. "You could damage it further."

"Maybe we should head back now," Kari said appearing relieved. "We've already walked two blocks further than we agreed on."

"Well, the weather is turning out to be a little drab," Izzy put in glancing at the late afternoon sky where grey storm clouds had gathered ominously.

"We wouldn't want to get caught out in the rain," Mimi agreed. "It's not healthy. I mean," she continued hastily seeing Tai's annoyed expression. "Our spirits are already dampened—let's not do the same to our hair!"

"God, you guys are such a bunch of Nannymon!" Tai burst out pushing through them not about to let his outing be cut so short. The only way they were going to get him to go home this soon was if they dragged him back kicking and screaming. "I don't know what you're so worried about! I'm perfectly fine on my ow—_WHOA!"_

He found himself pitching face-forward without warning the pavement rushing up to greet him before he was snagged by a firm grip from behind two seconds before impact.

"Okay, I think I rest my and everyone else's case here," Joe said, his eyes narrowing in displeasure from behind his glasses.

"It wasn't my fault! It was his!" Tai protested pointing at the small boy whose baseball bat he had tripped over to the fact the kid had been using it to run along the bottom of the metal bars of the crosswalk-bridge they were currently stopped. "Hey, kid," Tai snapped at him. "Don't you know better than to play games up here? It's dangerous!"

The boy had the audacity enough to stick out his tongue cheekily at him and blow a raspberry before taking off down the stairwell.

"Get back here, you little brat!" Tai shouted starting to chase after him… however Joe was stronger than he had realized.

"Tai, don't make me use this," Joe said taking a folded white linen cloth out of his coat pocket and waving it threateningly under his friend's nose.

Tai reeled back from the overpowering, sickly sweet smell, his eyes watering. "D-Dude, is t-that _chloroform?_ Are you freaking kidding me?"

"I'm not joking," Joe warned him. "You may not be taking this whole spinal fracture recovery rate seriously, but the rest of us are. I don't want to use this, but… unfortunately, they still won't allow me access to needles at my internship," Joe finished sadly.

Tai gaped at him in disbelief, then from the highway of cars than ran below them came a chorus of screeching tires and honking horns.

"What is it?" Mimi cried rushing over to the railing for a better view.

"Is it the kid?" Sora asked hurrying beside her.

"No, I see him. He's over there!" Izzy said pointing to the left where the boy with the baseball bat stood on the sidewalk staring transfixed at something in the middle of the road.

Something that had caused a traffic jam in the left-hand lane. A lone figure standing still in the sea of cars that sped past since the person refused to budge. A person with familiar chestnut spiked hair…

Tai's blood ran cold at the sight chilling him to the bone more than the sudden onslaught of rain that poured down from the sky. He ripped out of Joe's grasp with energy he wasn't sure where it had come from and raced like a man possessed down the wet stairwell.

"Tai, stop! Not so fast! You'll slip!" he heard voices call from behind him but he plunged on ignoring their concerned cries.

His heart was pounding rapidly and his stomach felt like it had leaped into his throat. An invisible cord of panic tightened around his chest. There was a wild kind of terror streaking through his veins as he dashed headlong into the oncoming traffic without hesitation.

"JUN!" he yelled, the name tearing itself free from his mouth in a frantic, desperate tone.

Reaching her side, he grabbed the girl by the wrist with one hand and wrapped his other about her shoulder and steered them blindly through the speeding vehicles back to the safety of the sidewalk.

"_What in the world were you thinking?"_ he shouted at her the minute his lungs had begun to breathe normally again and now his fear was quickly cooling off and being replaced by anger.

Jun didn't appear to have heard him. She didn't even seem to be aware of his presence in front of her. Her brown eyes were staring straight through him as if he weren't there, vacant and glassy.

"_Answer me!"_ Tai ordered, shaking her roughly by the arms. "Do you have a death wish or something?"

A tiny gasp was the girl's only sign of response as she slowly drifted out of the numb spell she had fallen into. Violent trembles shook her frame and it was then that Tai realized she wasn't wearing a coat, only a thin, long-sleeved shirt over a short skirt that were now thoroughly drenched by the rain. But somehow, he doubted she was trembling from the wet and cold.

"Jun, you sounded fine earlier… what happened?" he asked softly.

The girl lifted her head up to reveal the hollows of her cheekbones on her pale face. Dark shadows ringed under her brown eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"I-I…" Jun managed to croak huskily, her voice barely above a whisper. "I ran… into this w-weird man earlier… he looked like someone dressed for a c-cosplay party," a weak giggle bubbled out of the girl's throat before she got herself under control. "He asked me if I was h-happy the w-way I am n-now. He s-said… he said he could m-make me s-superior… t-that all my w-wishes would be g-granted…"

A wave of uneasiness swept over Tai at the girl's story. He couldn't help but remember the conversation earlier.

"_T.K. said that Mom met a man who told her that 'what happened five years ago isn't over yet'."_

"I d-didn't k-know what he wanted f-from me," Jun choked out. "B-but I do know I w-wanted what he was offering… even if it did sound imp-possible…"

Jun may have given up on Matt, but Tai knew there were other things the girl desired desperately.

oOo

"_Promise me I can have a Digimon too."_

oOo

"_Tell me how I can get to this Digital World then so they can find me."_

oOo

"_Keep your precious monsters all to yourself! You think you're someone special because you have one? You think it makes you a better person? Well, you're not! __You're no different than the rest of us! None of you!"_

oOo

"I w-was going to ag-gree…" Jun stuttered, her words slurring together as if her tongue was made of lead. "I d-didn't care w-what the p-price was… but then… this _woman_ appeared… she l-looked like a Halloween w-witch…"

Tai's mind jolted in sudden recognition. Perhaps Jun hadn't run into this mystery human after all. Was she talking about Mummymon and Arukeniemon?

"She c-called the man an i-idiot… she s-said I was too o-old for it to spr-rout p-properly… then they l-left me…" Jun wheezed, her violent trembling grinding to an abrupt stop. "They left me…" she repeated piteously. Her eyes widening as she looked up at him, _through_ him into nothing. "They _left_ me… why?" she whispered in a myriad of chants. "Why, why, why, why, why, _why, WHY," _Jun screamed as her hands shot out and seized the front of his coat tightly. _"WHY AM I NEVER GOOD ENOUGH?"_

Tai stared at the girl clinging to him not bothering to mask her heaving sobs that were clawing their way out of her throat with an agonizing conviction.

Footsteps splattering on the wet pavement pulled his attention momentarily away. Glancing behind him, he saw that his friends had reached the bottom of the stairwell and were drawing nearer every second, puzzlement showing clearly upon their countenance.

Tai turned back to Jun whose face had regained some color, even if it was a splotchy red from crying so hard. The girl's gaze had become unfocused once again, her grip on his coat growing slack. He couldn't let them see her like this. Especially Matt. She may have not cared now if anyone saw her, but later, when she was in her right mind again, she would.

Gently, he took her hands in his and pried them off his coat where they fell limp at Jun's side. With one swift movement, Tai whipped off his coat and placed it over the girl's shoulders, tugging the hood down over her face so she was shielded from the rain… and any other unwelcome stares.

Jun didn't seem to have noticed a change in her attire nor the manner in which Tai placed his arms around her and drew her close to his side, carefully leading them away in the opposite direction of the Digidestined.

They didn't try to stop him from leaving this time.

Tai wouldn't have listened to them anyway if they had.

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

_Courage never knew what_  
_Fear could be until the day_  
_I almost lost you._

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Wow, so it's been like a month since I've updated. Whoo! Sorry, guys. Real life, what can I say? Anyhoo, this chapter was going to be longer, but since I need to really polish the next scene, I figured why make you wait any longer? Yes, I'm sure you guys will really enjoy the next chapter, heeheehee!^^ Did you guys expect any of what you just read by any chance? I should state clearly here that no, Jun wasn't trying to kill herself. She just had absolutely no idea of her her surroundings or the danger she was in. Shock will do that to you. Well, someone pointed out that I never said if Jun received the Dark Spore or not. Hmmm, I thought it was obvious, but *glances back at what she has written* it does looks ambiguous! Hahaha! Well, I'll think I'll just let you all fret about that until the next chapter, but if you all recall a certain fact in the timeline where the story is now, you should come upon the correct answer.

Fun Facts:You got it. Title of the chapter shamelessly named after Avril Lavigne's song "With You". It's not my fault her songs fit so well with the scenes! DX I'll have you all know, I wasn't a fan of hers until I started writing this fic! Now I love that artist. Anyway fic stats: IT'S OVER 9000! *spews blood* Holy Shellmon! O.o You guys rock my socks so much! It makes my heart melt seeing how much this fic is loved. *sniffles* ; 3;

Other news: I promised myself I'd tell you all even though it's sort of embarrassing. Yeah, I totally can say by first-hand experience now I understand what Tai went through. I slipped on water on the floor, fell on my back and banged myself good. I had to get X-rays of the spine and my left elbow. I wanted my head examined too since I hit the backside of it pretty hard, but apparently, they decided by reflexes I had no hemorrhaging of the brain. I'm luckier than Tai though. No broken bones or fractures even, just internal bruising of the muscles, but lemme tell you, that even _that _freaking hurts like hell. Thank heaven for Icy Hot patches! Enough about me. I just wanted to share this with everyone because well, it's pretty ironic that this happened right after I wrote it in a chapter. No, seriously, sometimes I scare myself…

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	16. Take My Hand

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 15 Take My Hand  
**

The rain lightened up but still continued to pour earthbound in continuous sheets of chilling, droplets of water. Tai plodded silently through it, keeping a firm grip on Jun, with no particular destination in mind.

_We should get out of the rain,_ he mused distractedly casting a glance to the grey sky overhead. _Maybe a café or something._

But he didn't think Jun would appreciate being crammed into a tiny shop full of people and what taking her haggard appearance into account. In fact, the girl probably wouldn't even bother to worry about they would think. She seemed to have settled into a self-induced stupor at the moment going by the way she was allowing him to keep his arm around her shoulders and not launching into a tirade of how not to act so familiarly with someone he wasn't sure he could label as a "friend" even. She didn't appear to notice her surroundings at all much less the person beside her.

An entrance to a park caught his eye and Tai drew them towards it, a vague plan taking shape in his mind. The trees provided adequate enough canopy from the rain and the thick foliage kept out most of the biting wind and weather creating quite the shelter. Tai walked Jun to one of the benches and helped her sit down.

Jun was no longer crying.

This alarmed Tai more than when the girl had been weeping so despairingly before. At least she had been showing off _some _emotion. Now, she seemed to have shrunk, curled into herself someplace far away from the harshness of reality.

Tai tried to think of something nice to say to ease her pain but drew a blank. There was nothing he could possibly think of that would make her feel better or change the simple facts of the situation.

Jun wasn't a Digidestined. She hadn't been chosen. She didn't have a digivice. She didn't have a partner.

She didn't have the guy she wanted either.

Tai wandered over to a vending machine and bought a can of coffee. Returning back, he took Jun's motionless hands and wrapped them around it firmly. She made no move to drink it but at least the heat from the can would warm her numb fingers at least.

"I saw them too," Jun spoke suddenly, breaking the silence that had fallen around them.

"What?" Tai said more startled by the girl talking than what she had meant.

"At the convention center… five years ago…" Jun said her voice quavering with every word as her fingers gripped the can of coffee so tightly the tips turned white. "I saw them too… the ghost monsters… that _vampire_… I saw them too… just like Davis… so _why_—" she choked at the end as if her throat had closed up and bowed her head, her shoulders renewing their trembling.

After their tour around the world, Izzy had shared with him how there were other Digidestined besides the original eight. Apparently, anyone who had seen or been in contact with Digimon who had slipped through the gateway to the Digital World five years ago had potential to becoming a Digidestined. Potential but it wasn't an absolute.

Jun always appeared to get the short end of the stick.

Perhaps that's why she tried to hard to reach the goals she had set for herself. Why she became so utterly crushed when she failed them.

In any case, there was something she had mentioned earlier that Tai found quite disturbing.

"Jun," he said slowly so as to not frighten her, "what did you mean when you said you were 'too old for it to sprout properly'?"

It sounded as if Mummymon and Arukeniemon were up to another one of their schemes and if they were, then Ken was right and the Control Spires popping up all around the world had been nothing more than a diversion to get the Digidestined to leave Japan so that they could set their plan into motion.

"I d-don't know," Jun sniffed, bringing one hand up to brush briefly across her eyes. "The man didn't g-give me anyt-thing. M-maybe he was p-pervert. M-maybe he was c-crazy. M-maybe I was crazy for b-believing him."

"You're not crazy, Jun," Tai said quietly.

"Y-yes, I am," Jun smiled lop-sided. "C-crazy, psychotic, and obsessive, that's m-me, remember?"

"Jun…"

"Oh, let me g-guess, y-you're g-going to s-say you _like _that ab-bout me, r-right?" Jun laughed albeit hysterically, flinging her head backwards and causing the hood of Tai's coat to slip off and exposing her face flushed red by the tears streaking down her cheeks. "C-can't have the girl you r-really like, so let's settle for s-second best, huh? We can be t-two of a k-kind: a c-couple brought together by b-both of them being rej-jected by the people they l-love. They find s-solace and c-comfort in each others' arms and l-learn to truly c-care for one another and l-live happily ever after. S-sounds about r-right. Good enough to be a m-movie," Jun said with a strangled giggle. "Hey, maybe we'll co-write a b-book tog-gether about our tragic exp-periences and how we w-would go through them a m-million t-times if it meant m-meeting each other, _hahahahaha!"_

Tai stared at the girl in front of him who had fallen over sideways on the bench lost in the throes of her mad laughter, her entire body shaking.

"Stop it," he said, a dark anger coiling in the pit of his stomach at the sight.

"What?" Jun crowed triumphantly up at him seeing his expression. "C-can't handle the t-truth? 'C-cause it's what I just s-said."

"What you just said is utter bullshit," Tai swore vehemently, his anger rising every second that Jun smiled that horrible, false grin sweetly at him.

"Oooh," Jun gasped mockingly sitting upright again and leaned forward interestedly. "Are you going to contradict me now? _Do_ tell me how it's not true!" she exclaimed clapping her hands. "Tell me how perfect and wonderful I am and how much we complete each other! Tell me!"

"Not like this," Tai bit out, struggling to control the rage building inside him. "Not until you're back in your right mind."

"What right mind? This _is _me," Jun tittered, batting her eyelashes coquettishly. "Crazy, psychotic, and obsessive, just they way you prefer."

Tai resisted the urge to slap her across the face, to try and snap her out of the insanity that had shrouded her senses. He turned sharply without a further word and began walking away. There was no use talking to her anymore right now. Maybe time alone would make the madness disintegrate. Let her think he was leaving. He would wait nearby out of sight and make sure she got home alright by herself. He just couldn't stand seeing her like this a moment more.

"Hey, where are you going?" he heard Jun call out from behind him. "You haven't confessed your undying love yet!"

Tai continued forward without as much as a backward glance.

"Hey!" Jun shouted again and this time there was less dementia and more anger in her tone than before. "You can't leave until I say so!"

He had just stepped under the light streaming from the lamppost when a coffee can went hurtling past his head colliding into the vending machine it had come out from. The tab on the can broke open spraying steaming dark-brown liquid into the air and all over the front of Tai's shirt soaking the vest he wore underneath. He spun around to see Jun standing not three feet away, her face devoid of its mask of craziness, contorted with a new and strange kind of fear instead.

"You can't leave," Jun repeated brokenly. "Everyone… _everyone always leaves!"_

The girl had balled her hands into small fists that were shaking by her side. Her chest was heaving wildly as if she had run a marathon. Her eyes were shining with sorrow and hopelessness, but free from the delirium she had been suffering before.

A soft smile slowly spread its way across Tai's face.

"Do you want know what I like about you, Jun?" he said. "I like the fact that you're _not _perfect and wonderful. I like how with you it's 'hit first, ask questions later'. I like how you can send people running at just your arrival. I like the way that if you laugh too hard you start to snort like a pig. I like the way that you remind me of a _kitsune _becauseof all the clever tricks you pull, even though look more like a raccoon right now because your mascara's been running. I like the way your hair smells like almonds and how when I put on your helmet every time I ride your moped the scent sticks my own. I like how in art class when the teacher asks us to draw something, I want to sketch every expression I've ever seen you make. And I like going to sleep at night with the last thought on my mind being how I'll never know if I'm going to survive the next day because _you'll_ be in it ready to drag me through another one of your wild schemes but I don't care because I enjoy every minute of them!"

Jun was staring at him wide-eyed when he had finished, a faint blush having slowly crept into her cheeks as she had listened to his words. Then without warning, her expression crumpled inward and the floodgates in her brown irises burst open wide as withheld tears poured forth.

"I… look… like a _raccoon?"_ Jun cried, halfway between a strangled squeak and a wail.

"A cute raccoon!" Tai tried to amend hastily. Dammit, why did all his confessions have to go awry and miss their mark?

Jun sobbed louder than ever burying her face into her hands and rubbing the back of her palm against her eyes in an effort to wipe away the black mask that had formed. All she succeeded in doing was dying her hands black from the mascara rubbed off on the skin.

"Don't do that," Tai said gently, taking one of her smudged hands in his. "You'll just make yourself look like a panda instead."

Jun struck him feebly in the chest with her free hand. "You need to learn how to flirt better, you jerk. Telling someone they look like an animal isn't a compliment!"

Tai was heartened to hear laughter bubbling its way through her crying. Happy, normal laughter. "Sorry, I'm new at this," he grinned. "I guess someone will have to teach me."

Jun looked up and fixed him with a bewildered, searching gaze and Tai realized that he had taken hold of her other hand and now was holding both of them… and that their faces were in such a close proximity that it wouldn't take much effort for him to lean down and press his lips against hers…

"Wait," Jun rasped out as his head started to decline downward.

Tai paused and blinked as if a veil had been lifted from his eyes. What had he been about to do? He felt his face flame at the thought. Jun's hands were shaking slightly in his grasp as the girl gazed at him with an air of uncertainty.

"I'm not…" she said, stumbling over the words. "I'm not… just a rebound… or substitute that you can use."

"I know that," Tai said firmly. "I don't think of you like that at all."

The two stood in silence for a moment, Jun regarding him carefully.

"I understand though… if you don't feel the same way about me," Tai said starting to withdraw his hands. "If you still have feelings for—"

He was stopped in his tracks when Jun snatched at his retreating hands and curled hers back around his tightly. With a start, Tai noticed the burning, electrifying heat that usually ignited whenever he touched Jun had vanished. It its place was a warm, glowing sensation that tingled pleasantly as it danced across their fingers that had somehow gotten laced through each other's…

Then Jun was lifting her face upwards expectantly and Tai was tilting his head down and their lips were gliding softly together as they meshed in a tender kiss and the warmth raced from their fingertips and spread throughout the rest of their bodies until they were completely immersed in an overwhelming, indescribable feeling that lasted for far too short a time.

When they finally pulled apart, Tai was out of breath and felt as if his face was on fire. Judging by Jun's dark-red complexion as she stared at him in surprise and amazement, his face was probably a mirror-copy of hers.

"Was that your first kiss?" Jun asked.

"Y-yes," Tai reluctantly admitted. He hadn't thought his face could grow any hotter. This was rather awkward and embarrassing. "I'm sorry if I wasn't any g—"

His apology was abruptly cut off as Jun yanked him gently back down for another kiss, this one deeper than before.

Tai rather thought he could get addicted to this.

oOo

It was night by the time the rain finally let up and they left the park. Tai walked Jun back home holding hands the entirety of the way there in broad public.

"You could come in for a bit," Jun suggested almost shyly as they stood in front of the door to the Motomiya residence. "I could make tea."

The idea was tempting. But…

"I've got get back. My nursemaids are probably frantic by now. Look, seventeen missed calls," Tai said showing her his cell phone. He was glad he had the sense enough to turn it off earlier. He hadn't even looked at his D-Terminal yet.

Jun smiled and unwrapped herself from his coat, handing it back to him. "You'll need this then. I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."

Tai took it from her and put it on. It was still warm from the heat of her body. "I'll call you in the morning," he said. "We could get together later tomorrow."

"I thought we already were together," Jun teased, laughing when his face flushed a crimson shade.

_Together._

Tai's head spun dizzily. He wondered how once word could make him feel so incredibly happy. This must be the feeling sung about in those sappy love songs he used to despise. This strange sensation of walking on air and hoping feverishly that this wasn't a dream because if it was, he never wanted to wake up from it.

A weight was pushed onto his wrist suddenly and Tai broke out of his daze to look down and see Jun finish hooking the metal clasp of a charm bracelet that used to grace her own wrist.

"Well, I don't have a gift ready to give you right now," the girl said, her mouth pressing into a thin line as she avoided his gaze. "And I totally understand if you don't want to wear something so stupid—"

Tai silenced her taking off the blue headband he used to hold up his hair and wrapping it around Jun's wrist in return.

"This will make it twice I've given something of mine to the Motomiyas," he chuckled. "What can I say? I have must have a real weak soft spot for them."

"Yeah, but I kiss better than Davis, right?" Jun smirked.

"Loads," Tai grinned at her.

Their faces inched forward closer ever-so slowly and then…

They were interrupted by a next-door neighbor arriving home from work late and decided kissing in plain view wouldn't be the best idea in the world.

"Good night," Jun said unlocking the door and stepping into her apartment.

"Good night," Tai whispered, his eyes lingering on her and not leaving from the threshold until the girl had shut the door.

He glanced down at the charm bracelet on his left wrist and decided it was better than any sports wristband he had ever worn for good luck.

oOo

Tai arrived home, his mind still enraptured in a pleasant cloud and dimly heard his sister's voice coming as if from a long tunnel.

"Oh, hold on, nevermind, he just got back. I'll call you later." There was a click of the phone's receiver and then Kari's worried tone. "Tai, are you alright? You didn't hurt your back again, did you? Where were you for so long?"

Tai didn't bother even taking off his shoes at the entrance and brushed past her without so much as an explanation, heading straight for his room. "Tell Mom I'm sorry for missing dinner and I'm going to bed," he said shutting his door firmly behind him.

Casting off his shoes and his coat on the floor, he stretched out across the bed and stared absently up at the ceiling. Then he reached one hand over the side of the mattress and picked his coat up from where he had flung it. Burying his nose in the hood, he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply and smiled.

It smelled like almonds.

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

_Melting in fire_  
_Swept away by a river_  
_Your lips against mine._

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** Short chapter is short! But I think the fluff makes up for it don't you think?^-~ So to answer your questions from the last chapter, no Jun didn't receive a Dark Spore. How could she have? Oikawa hasn't kidnapped Ken yet and made copies. It was awfully tempting I admit, but I have other plans for Jun. How was the kiss scene anyway? First time describing/writing one. Self-esteem is rock bottom. And you have to excuse Jun's craziness at the beginning. It was brought on for having something she desperately wanted so close within her grasp and then having cruelly snatched from her reach for the umpteenth time. She took her frustration out on Tai.

Fun Facts: Vending machines. You name it. Japan has it. In spades. Including hot drinks in a can. Hot drinks in a can in a vending machine in a _park._ They're almost as common as DDR. You find them anywhere. They're awesome like that.

Tai's confession as to what he liked about Jun was inspired by the end scene in the movie _When Harry Met Sally. _Sometimes saying you like/love someone is not enough. You have to go overboard and tell them what you like and even what you like to _dislike _about them!

Songs I listened to while writing this: "Sparks Fly" and "Today Was a Fairytale" by Taylor Swift. "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer. "Almost Like Being In Love" by Frank Sinatra.

Next chapter: adventure/drama picks back up, woo-hoo! Finally back in my element! XD Yes, fight-scenes! The kids' Digimon are back in the picture! So is BlackWarGreymon! Who can't wait?

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	17. Poisoned Bond

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

**Ch. 16 Poisoned Bond**

It was a heavy weight sprawled across his chest making it slightly uncomfortable for him to breathe that awakened Tai the next morning. Blearily, he lowered his gaze and was greeted with the sight of a small, orange dinosaur lying halfway on top of him as if to make sure his partner would not disappear again.

A wave of guilt rushed over Tai. He had essentially ran off and deserted everyone yesterday. Agumon had been left at home while he "walked around the block for a bit". He hadn't returned until hours later after dark. Kari had sounded worried when he arrived home. No doubt they all had been. A small swell of irritation rippled through the pool of guilt at the thought. He should have called and let them know he was alright, but really, he deserved more credit than they were giving him. They should trust that he could take of himself and not assume he was going to injure himself any further at every passing opportunity.

A drowsy grunt tumbled from his partner's throat and Tai reached out a hand to rub the Digimon's scalp soothingly.

Jun's bracelet made a soft _ching-_ing sound as the music note and dice charms bumped into each other with the momentum.

Agumon's eyes snapped open at his touch, the green of his eyes blazing fiercely as he looked at him in manner that Tai wasn't sure he had ever seen or recognized before.

"Agumon…?" he asked easing up a little.

A snout was shoved firmly into his chest pushing back into his pillows. Reptilian nostrils flared wide and blew gusty, hot steam into the air as a frown-line crinkled across the dinosaur's brow.

"You smell… like _her_," Agumon murmured stiffly.

Heat flared in Tai's face as he realized Jun's scent of almonds still lingered on him from the night before.

"Oh, haha, t-t-that's—" he tried to laugh off nervously.

Teeth flashed white as lips curled back into a grimace, a discontented sneer. It suddenly occurred to Tai what a very sharp set of jaws his partner possessed. A trickle of unease shot throughout Tai's veins. He didn't like this feeling—this feeling of fear that his own partner posed a threat to him.

"She won't take you from me," Agumon said in a voice quite unlike his own, a low, grating tone that bordered on malice. "I won't let her. I promise."

Tai could hear the blood marching loudly in his ears in the deafening silence that followed his partner's proclamation. His heart beat erratically in his chest as he stared into narrowed, purposeful green eyes glinting with a smoldering, possessive jealousy.

This… this wasn't Agumon. It _couldn't_ be Agumon.

The world seemed to stop spinning. There was nothing but the two of them caught frozen in this fragile, crystalline-spun plane of existence and only one wrong move would cause it to snap…

"Tai, come quick! You have to see the news!" Kari exclaimed flinging his bedroom door wide.

oOo

"It seems that Ken may be right after all about Arukeniemon and Mummymon if these Digimon appearing all over the city are anything to go by, however, I have to wonder why no Control Spires appeared anywhere this time," Izzy was speaking, his voice floating out of the phone sounding both baffled and worried. "And we can't be entirely certain that they're behind the disappearance of so many children either."

Tai listened numbly and said nothing, his brain barely registering what Izzy was saying. All he could focus on was Agumon who was staring intently at the tv which was repeating its news bulletin from earlier about the sudden disappearance of children and reappearance of more monsters like those that had been seen at Christmas.

Agumon, who he had all but shoved violently off of him when his sister had opened the door. Agumon, who didn't seem to remember a thing about what he had said earlier when Tai had demanded what he meant by that. Agumon, who was under the impression the reason his partner was acting so absurd was because he had woken up from a nightmare.

Maybe he was halfway right. But Tai hadn't woken up _from _a nightmare. He had woken up _to _a nightmare.

"Listen, we have to take care of the Digimon first before we start looking for the children," Izzy said. "T.K., Cody, and Joe are going to deal with MarineDevimon. Tell Kari to meet up with Yolei and bring down LadyDevimon. Sora and Mimi will help them—they're already on their way there. You, Matt and I will join up with Davis and Ken. I'm sure between the five of us we can manage SkullSatamon. Hey…hey, are you listening, Tai?"

"What?" Tai tried to rein in his thoughts in and concentrate solely on Izzy's voice. It was more difficult to do than he imagined. Especially since Agumon had come over to stand in front of him to better hear the conversation—Tai fought against the impulse to step back. Agumon was his _partner._ He felt ashamed for even _thinking_ that the Digimon meant him harm. However, the memory of earlier that morning had planted a tiny, niggling seed of doubt in his mind.

"Maybe you should stay home and catch up on some rest instead." A worried note had slipped into Izzy's tone. "You probably over-exerted your energy yesterday running off like that and staying out for hours in the rain." Now there was disapproval mingling in as well.

"No, I told you, I'm _fine_."

"You just seem… distracted. Are you sure there's nothing wrong?"

Tai opened his mouth, everything ready on the tip of his tongue to come spilling forth…

He caught Agumon's eye as he did, the small dinosaur's mouth breaking out into a wide, toothy grin completely devoid of any ill intentions, filled only with warmth and love.

"No, nothing," Tai said wishing he felt as confident as he sounded. "There's nothing wrong at all."

oOo

"I'm telling you guys, I think Jun's gone crazy! I mean, she's always been crazy, but now she's gone all like _yandere _crazy! She was smiling at breakfast! Smiling! And she made me pancakes! And she _hugged _me good morning and told me what a wonderful little brother I was and you know what? She wasn't even being sarcastic!"

"I don't mean to be a downer, Davis, but… is that supposed to a bad thing?" Ken asked.

"She's completely snapped! It's freaking me out!" Davis exclaimed, holding his arms and shivering. "I don't get it! She was mean and rude as usual yesterday. What the heck happened between now and today? Alien abduction and pod-people replacement theories aside."

Tai was aware of Matt and Izzy shooting him inquisitive glances though neither of them said anything. They knew it had been Jun he had left with the evening before, but they didn't know the details. They were bound to be curious. Let them wonder. He wasn't going to divulge information on the matter any time soon. And besides… he wasn't sure that bringing up the subject of Jun and him being a couple in front of Agumon would be a good idea.

A violent explosion accompanied by sinister laughter sounded from around the corner followed by an outbreak of shrill, terrified screaming.

"I think we can discuss Jun's eccentricities at a more prone opportunity," Izzy said.

The broke into a dash rounding the building and were greeted with the sight of a Digimon whose body appeared to be made up of nothing but a skeleton, its bone structure a rusty red color except for its obsidian skull and leathery black wings sprouting from the back of its shoulder-blades. In its metal-gloved hands, it gripped a curved, clawed staff with a golden jewel embedded at one end, which was glowing ominously as the Digimon pointed it at the backs of the fleeing crowd of people.

"Not so fast!" Paildramon cried as he launched himself at the enemy, the spikes on his wrist extending into a lance in a Stinging Strike.

The skeletal Digimon emitted a diabolical cackle as it disappeared in a blur then reappeared directly behind Paildramon and dealt a wicked blow to his head with its staff that sent Paildramon smashing painfully into the concrete.

"Hey, using moves like that should get you disqualified on the field!" Davis shouted enraged.

"I hope you do realize this isn't a soccer match," Ken remarked.

"Which is a good thing otherwise this move would totally be illegal, right?" Kabuterimon yelled as he, Garurumon and Greymon attacked the opponent simultaneously in a formation of three.

Their enemy was nothing but a flashing streak of red as it laid their Digimon flat on their back with stunning blows under the chin.

"Pitiful! You are no match for SkullSatamon! I will crush whoever gets in my way!" the skeletal Digimon crowed evilly.

"Egocentric much?" Matt stated dryly.

"I think it's time to upgrade," Izzy nodded.

An excited thrill of anticipation shot through Tai. He had been told that while he was in the hospital a younger version of Gennai had arrived and had gifted the Digidestined with a Digicore from Azulongmon that enabled the older kids' Digimon to digivolve to Ultimate again. Everyone had witnessed their partners' higher form when they had traveled around the world. Everyone but him. But now he would finally be able to see MetalGreymon after so long a time.

Wait a moment. Should Greymon even being digivolving in his state?

Tai couldn't just forget about what had happened this morning. Agumon… wasn't well. The Agumon he knew would never have implied a threat like that. A threat he wasn't sure extended to him or to Jun or perhaps both of them.

He recalled a conversation with Izzy when he first got out of the hospital. Izzy had asked a question which had struck him as odd then.

"_So you and Agumon have been keeping in steady touch with each other?"_

"_Yeah, over the phone at least. Why?"_

"_Has Agumon been acting… abnormally?"_

"_Abnormal? What do you mean?"_

"_You know… um, has he… not been himself or not sounded like himself?"_

"_Izzy, he's still kicking himself for not saving me from DarkTyrannomon any earlier. You'll have to excuse him if he's not as happy-go-lucky as usual. What's this all about?"_

"_O-of course, you're right. Never mind. It's probably nothing."_

Izzy knew something he didn't. Or at least suspected something. He was being left in the dark on purpose.

Tai didn't like being excluded.

"Paildramon digivolve to_… Imperialdramon!"_

"Yeah, go knock those eighties-reject rocker pants right off that pile of walking bones!" Davis cheered his partner on enthusiastically.

"We have a verdict," Ken joined in, having apparently caught the taunting bug. "You're ugly!"

SkullSatamon seemed impressed. At least he paused his near-invisible strides for one second to do a good glance-over at his adversary's new form. "A mega Digimon? Hmm-hmm! NAIL BONE!"

A blinding beam of golden light erupted from the jewel on SkullSatamon's staff with sizzling force that rendered Imperialdramon immobile beneath a heavy veil of black mist that faded in and out sporadically.

"Unfair, unfair, unfair!" Davis howled doing a little dance of fury. "I'm_ so_ giving you a red card!"

"_Not_ a soccer game," Ken muttered under his breath. "Move Imperialdramon!"

"He can't. That attack has some sort of energy that disrupts data and freezes its victim in place," Izzy said doing a quick search on his trusty laptop with the Digimon Analyzer.

"You hear that?" Matt shouted at Garurumon as his digivice glowed a familiar blue color that Tai hadn't seen in years. "Be careful! Try not and get by hit by it!"

"That's easer said than done," the newly evolved WereGarurumon grunted as he tried to outrun SkullSatamon. The wolf Digimon was fast—he could bounce off buildings and leap upwards just as high, but it still wasn't enough.

"NAIL BONE!"

WereGarurumon was slammed through the front windshield of an abandoned car in the middle of the street, his limbs locking up as the attack's special move wreaked havoc on his data.

"My turn!" MegaKabuterimon cried as he fired off a stream of lightning from his horn. "Horn Blaster!"

"Not even close," SkullSatamon sniggered as dodged the blast and it struck the top of the building he had been perched on sending slabs of concrete spiraling downwards.

"Hey, where'd he—?" MegaKabuterimon started, swiveling his head for any sign of the enemy.

"Too slow," SkullSatamon hissed as he slid into focus behind the insectoid Digimon. "NAIL BONE!"

The force of the attack flung MegaKabuterimon forward directly underneath the path of the falling concrete, burying the Digimon under an avalanche of debris.

"Now's my chance!" Greymon roared charging at the foe.

Tai watched as if in slow motion.

oOo

"_Has Agumon been acting… abnormally?"_

oOo

"_She won't take you from me. I won't let her. I promise."_

oOo

_Narrowed, purposeful green eyes glinting with a smoldering, possessive jealousy._

oOo

_Teeth flashing white as lips curled back into a discontented sneer… inches away from his exposed neck._

oOo

_A malevolent whisper in his ear._ _"So fragile. So weak. You humans are pathetic."_

oOo

What? Tai seized up at the recollection that seemed to have sprung out of nowhere. Wait, those last two incidents hadn't happened… had they?

His mind felt heavy and numb, like someone had drilled holes through it like swiss cheese and memories had leaked out and vanished.

He looked up through the sea of fog that was swamping his senses and saw Greymon charging forward, a kind of wild, savage joy emblazoned across his face.

Terror rushed up from the pits of Tai's stomach, seized him by the throat and shook him like a rag doll.

"Greymon digivolve to—_what?"_ Greymon roared as his digivolution process failed to come to surface, astonishment overriding the senseless bloodlust that had consumed him enough to halt him in his tracks.

"NAIL BONE!" SkullSatamon cried, hammering down his attack upon the T-Rex's horned-helmet that ploughed him into the ground, the impact shooting a shower of gravel into the air like a geyser.

"Huh? What happened?" Davis questioned turning to see the digivice clenched in a death grip in his sempai's shaking hand, the digivice that was refusing to glow.

"Could it be because Tai wasn't in the room when Gennai gave us the power of the Digicore?" Matt voiced out loud.

"Impossible. Gennai assured me everyone received the energy. It must be another factor that's affecting the equation," Izzy disputed glancing at his friend in consternation. "Tai?"

Tai was partially relieved and horrified at the same time. He didn't know what would have happened if Greymon had digivolved, but it couldn't have been good if he had. For all he knew, SkullGreymon might have even appeared. A violent shudder shook him from head to toe at the thought. No, no, it was better this way.

"_Tai…"_ a low moan issued forth from Greymon's mouth as the dinosaur struggled under the crushing weight of Nail Bone's disrupting data influence. _"Whyyyyyy?"_

It was the same tone from this morning. Low, grating… bordering on malice. Didn't anyone hear it? Didn't anyone else see the dinosaur's crimson eyes glaring accusingly at him?

This time Tai gave himself no qualms for taking a step backwards from his fallen partner.

It was a move that spoke volumes.

Greymon's eyes widened into slits as he stared in shocked disbelief at him. Then the T-Rex began thrashing about wildly, a tortured roaring bellowed out of his open jaws, the betrayal in it loud enough for all to hear.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Matt demanded, grabbing a fistful of Tai's shirt. "He's your _partner!"_

A piercing bird-cry split the air drawing everyone's to the source of the sound. To their left, a brigade of flying Digimon bore towards them on swift wings, Garudamon holding the female Digidestined in her claws as Lilymon, Angewomon and Aquilamon flew alongside her.

The earth shook under the stomping of Ankylomon and Zudomon's feet as they raced towards the group from the right, Angemon flying overhead.

"We're coming!" Cody shouted from his seat behind Ankylomon's shoulders, Joe and T.K. gripping the horn that jutted out of the middle of Digimon's back.

"Don't worry, the girls are here to save the day!" Yolei shrieked waving energetically from Garudamon's claws.

"Be careful, this one isn't like other Digimon!" Ken called out.

"Don't just rush in! You don't know what he's capable of!" Izzy tried to warn them but it was too late.

"NAIL BONE! NAIL BONE! _NAIL BONE!"_

If Tai had been paying even the most remote attention, he would have probably been amazed at how rapidly SkullSatamon disposed of his new adversaries. He would have heard the girls' frightened screams as Garudamon had to dump her precious cargo in order to avoid them from getting hit by the skeleton Digimon's attack that sapped her energy until she de-digivolved into Biyomon.

Ankylon and Zudomon went sailing across his line of vision both blasted by a now all-too familiar golden light.

The air was soon flooded with explosions, screams, and attack cries. The intersection where everyone had gathered had transformed into a private war-zone.

And Tai could see nothing before him except Greymon who had ceased his mad thrashing and pained roaring and had gone alarmingly still as if he had lost the will to keep on fighting.

Matt still had a firm grasp on his shirt. "Dammit, Tai, I don't know what's wrong, but this is no time to be having some teenage drama or crisis! Where's the guy who told me 'hopelessness is not one of our strong points'? That 'suicidally inclined' was a good term to describe how we never backed down from our enemies no matter how beat up we got? _That's_ the guy who needs to be here now! That's the guy who wouldn't let his own partner down!"

Tai stared at him unblinking, his friends' words appearing to have hit a brick wall.

Matt gave a disgusted snort and shoved him away, racing over to Gabumon whose Ultimate form had been ripped from him when SkullSatamon's Nail Bone attack had dispersed.

Greymon gave a strangled growl as heavy weight of black disruptive energy holding him down at last relinquished its grip on him. And with a flash of orange light, it was Agumon lying in his place unmoving.

_This has happened before,_ was the thought that came to Tai's mind suddenly.

Back when Agumon had been under the influence of the Dark Spiral. His own partner had attacked him numerous times, and yet he hadn't backed away even then. He even recalled Davis trying to hold him back from the fire line.

_I knew he was being controlled. I knew what I was up against then,_ Tai tried to convince himself.

That was no excuse. You didn't desert people you cared about simply because you didn't understand or were scared.

oOo

_"You won't lose me, Tai. I'll be here whenever you need me."_

_"Even when I'm old and grey?"_

_"Always and forever."_

oOo

So he knew something was wrong with Agumon. Help him, don't abandon him. What was he doing? What was he _doing?_

The cold chains binding him in place with fear snapped and shattered as he rushed to his partner's side.

"Agumon!" he cried throwing himself down beside the small dinosaur and picking his battered and bruised body up in his arms.

"T-Tai," Agumon whispered, green eyes crackling open slightly. "Am I dying?"

"What do you mean?" Now a different fear was overwhelming Tai at the Digimon's question.

"I don't know what dying feels like, but it must be what I'm feeling now," Agumon said, his body quivering all over. "You d-don't … _want _me anymore."

"That's not true!" Tai exclaimed appalled at the idea. This was all his fault for not acting sooner. He should have told Izzy about what had happened this morning. He shouldn't have let fear guide him like a mindless puppet.

"I'm sorry… I'm not s-strong anymore, Tai," Agumon gasped as a rainbow-colored radiance seeped out of his skin.

For one heart-stopping moment, he thought Agumon was being deleted… until he watched the glittering colors merge into an arrow that sped through the air followed by several others of the same radiance by the rest of the Digidestined's Digimon all with the same mark in mind: the frozen Imperialdramon.

The mega Digimon's eyes glowed red as a new digivolution path was unlocked inside him.

"It's… all I can do," Agumon said as sagged weakly in Tai's arms. "I can't even protect you anymore."

oOo

"_I've become completely useless!"_

oOo

"_I don't want to live without you."_

oOo

A faint glimmer of understanding filtered its way through Tai's mind. It may have not solved the whole puzzle, but it was a key piece in figuring it out.

"Agumon, listen to me!" Tai cried clutching him tightly, pressing his face to the crook between the small dinosaur's neck and shoulders. "I don't know where humans go when they die! I don't know when _I'm_ going to die, alright? But I _do_ know you'll be with me until the end. Because you're my partner! Because you're my friend! Because I love you! Because I'll always love you no matter what happens to either of us!"

Beneath him, Agumon had gone silent and still.

"Agum—?"

"I don't… feel very good, Tai," was the oddly subdued response he received before Agumon lurched violently, his entire body convulsing into spasms as a loud, gurgling sound bubbled up from his belly, to his throat, then exploded from his mouth in the shape of what resembled writhing, oozing black tar.

Tai stared at the dark mass that was wriggling like an upturned roly-poly on the pavement before him no bigger than a small rain puddle.

Was that what had been making Agumon act strange? What in the world was it?

"GET AWAY FROM THAT!" He heard Ken shout with horrified, panicked urgency.

The writhing black mass curled outward in a vicious arc towards its two closest targets in the manner that a parasite seeks out its host to survive.

Tai felt something wrap around his legs, coil up around his waist, binding his arms that held Agumon to him close to his chest. It happened so suddenly he didn't even have time to struggle and then they were being pulled backwards, the world flashing past at a speed so dizzying Tai had to shut his eyes.

"_Positron Laser!" _Imperialdramon's voice rang out.

Even through his closed eyelids, the brilliance of the attack flared a searing white.

"Someone better catch theeem!" an exhausted, raspy voice cried out.

Tai crashed into what felt like a pile of bodies that softened his impact. Dazed, he opened his eyes to find himself spread out over Matt and Joe, his arms holding Agumon to his chest, and staring up at a blue sky that a towering dragon-type mecha with crimson wings was silhouetted against.

He was vaguely aware of a clamor of voices asking if he was alright, of being pushed upright and Joe gently applying pressure points to his spine in a swift check-up, of the green vines disentangling themselves from around his and Agumon's bodies and retreating back into Palmon's outstretched hands.

There was a gaping crater where he and Agumon had been scant seconds before. The writhing black mass was nowhere in sight.

Neither was SkullSatamon.

"Did it touch you?" Ken demanded as he sprinted over, pushing the others aside.

"N-no," Tai stuttered as he tried to regain control of his tongue.

"Are you sure?" Ken pressed his complexion having turned a pasty white.

"I t-think so."

"It's cool, Ken. Imperialdramon nailed that black goo just like SkullSatamon, right?" Davis said coming up behind his friend, giving a thumbs up to the dragon-type mecha in the background.

Imperialdramon in his brand new form gave a salute back to the boy with one claw before de-digivolving and separating back into Wormmon and Veemon.

"What… was _that?" _Tai asked, his mind still reeling in shock. "Why was it in Agumon?"

He glanced down at his partner slumped over limply in his arms. He wasn't sure if the Digimon was unconscious or resting, but he took comfort in the small movement of the dinosaur's chest rising and falling in succession as he breathed.

Above his head, the other Digidestined were talking, flinging theories around, saying things that didn't make sense _whatsoever._

"It was the Virus that was inside DarkTyrannomon, wasn't it?" Izzy's voice.

"Didn't Agumon destroy it?" Kari.

"I only said that he could _fight_ the Virus more easily, not destroy it. Usually, if the Virus is overcome, it remains in the host harmless." Gatomon.

"I see. Sort of like how humans are immunized against diseases like giving them a tiny part of it like the flu vaccine." Izzy again.

"Sometimes though, negative emotion triggers the Virus into another attempt to take over." Gatomon.

"It probably wasn't a good choice to keep him physically apart from Tai for so long." Joe.

"What are you guys talking about?" Tai asked in an all-too calm voice that reflected the complete opposite of what he was feeling at the moment.

There was an awkward silence for a few seconds before Izzy spoke up hesitantly.

"That night at Matt's concert… after you lost consciousness… there was a side effect from Agumon fighting DarkTyrannomon…"

Tai took in the whole story with tact reserve. He couldn't suppress the tremors of anger at the end though.

"You should have told me," he said thickly, finding it hard to swallow suddenly. "I had the right to know."

In his arms, Agumon stirred sluggishly. "…sorry… Tai," he murmured. "I said… horrible things…"

"No, that wasn't you. And what I did was worse," Tai remarked, his grip on his partner tightening in remembrance. "I'm sorry… for failing you like that. I'll never do it again."

"Listen…" Izzy said tentatively breaking the spell. "I know it's a bad time to mention this right now, but the reason us older kids' Digimon de-digivolved wasn't entirely from SkullSatamon's Nail Bone attack. They've been in the real world too long. They need to go back or…"

"Or what?" Tai inquired when Izzy didn't continue. "Go on and say it. Or else they'll become unstable and neurotic like Agumon, is that it?"

"Tai!" Kari gasped.

"I'm only saying what everyone is thinking: that DarkTyrannomon's Virus only sped up the process, am I right?"

"No one is thinking that, Tai!" Izzy snapped. "It's just the simple fact of the matter: they need to return to the Digital World to regain their energy."

"I won't go," Agumon stated, refusing point-blank.

"Agumon," Tai trailed off, not sure what he was about to say.

"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Agumon chanted throwing a Digimon tantrum and shaking his head in vehement denial.

"It'll only be for a few days," Izzy tried to placate him.

"No, I won't go!" Agumon repeated, his voice cracking in distress. "The gateway will lock shut and it'll be years before I see Tai again or he might even be gone by the time it re-opens!"

"You don't know if that's for sure—"

But there was no arguing with the small dinosaur.

"_You can't make me!" _Agumon snarled so ferociously that Izzy stumbled backwards from him in alarm.

Tai realized the truth in Izzy's words when a familiar orange-gold light enveloped the dinosaur and left a bedraggled-looking pink head in his stead.

Koromon began to cry—a miserable and unceasing wail that couldn't be reasoned with.

"Don't send me away, Tai," he sobbed, fat teardrops leaking out of his eyes and dripping down his long, dangling ears. "Don't leave me again."

Tai looked up at Izzy helplessly, not knowing what to do.

"Really," Izzy said, straightening his turtleneck collar. "There's no need for such melodrama. Look, if Tai goes back with you, would you please reconsider?"

"But what if the gateway really does lock shut again?" Kari asked.

Great. Now his sister was worried.

"Look, Gennai said nothing about the gate closing abruptly, so I highly doubt that. Plus, it didn't lock permanently last time until we had defeated the Dark Masters. We still have Arukeniemon, Mummymon as well as these new Digimon that have appeared to take care of. I think we're in the clear for a while."

"How long would it be?" Tai asked quietly.

Koromon's sobs trickled into a muffled hiccupping at his question.

"Just for the weekend at the shortest, that's all," Izzy swore.

"Tai shouldn't be going there while his back is still healing," Joe frowned, ever the doctor. "Not alone at least. I'd go with him, but I have cram school that I can't afford to miss."

"Wait, he's going a whole weekend in the Digital World without homework?" Yolei seemed aghast at the thought.

"Lucky," Davis stated enviously.

"It can't be helped then. I'll go with him," Izzy volunteered, lifting the top of his laptop up.

"What? Right now?" Tai asked. Everything was happening too fast.

"Just the other Digimon for now," Izzy said. "We'll head over to my place for supplies first."

Koromon latched his ears around Tai's neck and clung tightly to him as Gabumon, Biyomon, Tentomon, Gomamon and Palmon vanished into the screen as if he were to let go, he'd be sucked in as well.

Tai placed a hand on top of the shivering Digimon in an effort to console him, Jun's bracelet jingling as the sun glinted off the silver charms.

He watched as Davis' eyes grew impossibly round as he stared in recognition at the bracelet hanging off his sempai's wrist. He could practically hear the gears in the boy's head whirring as they made the connection between his wearing of such a girlish accessory and Jun's behavior that morning Davis had spoken of earlier.

"Well, that's that," Izzy was saying as he packed up his computer. "We'd better get a move on before it gets late since the real world and Digital World share the same time."

"One of our Digimon could fly you home," Kari offered still looking concerned.

"That's a negative," Izzy declined. "They'll need to save their energy for future battles. I take it neither of your groups defeated their opponent since they arrived here so quick?"

There was a sheepish collection of shaking heads.

"I hate that LadyDevimon!" Mimi burst out turning pink in the face with unbridled fury. "She's such an ugly witch!"

"What happened?" Joe asked curiously.

Mimi's response was to scream and stomp her foot on the ground repeatedly as if she were imaging it were LadyDevimon's face.

"LadyDevimon seems to like insulting her opponents more than fighting them," Sora whispered to him from behind her hand. "She called Lilymon a 'fat-assed sugarplum fairy' and Mimi an 'undercooked Strawberry Shortcake'."

Jun's favorite nickname for Mimi fell upon Tai's ears so familiarly, he almost looked around for her. He tried to choke down the mad laughter that threatened to flow from his throat until he was doubled over wheezing for air. It was too funny and ironic—too bad they others weren't in on the joke.

"I think it'd be best if we leave right now," Izzy said casting an apprehensive eye on him.

"Yeah, that might be a good idea," Joe agreed. "You could catch the monorail—it's closer than the subway from here."

Great. Now they all thought he was going psycho as well.

"Davis," Tai said hoarsely as everyone was departing, catching the boy as he was turning to leave so it was just the two of them alone for the moment. "Take care of your sister. And tell her… tell her I'll be back. I promise."

Davis fidgeted where he stood, his face flaming an uncharacteristic pink as he avoided his sempai's eyes.

"Davis."

"Alright, I'll tell her!" Davis shouted. "Geez, sempai, what were you thinking? You could do so much better!" the boy whirled fast on his heel and raced off, the pink in his cheeks having all but turned to red.

"That's where you're wrong," Tai whispered gazing down at Koromon in his arms who was dozing fitfully using his chest as a pillow. "I think she could do better than _me."_

Because he was certain if given the opportunity, Jun would never have treated her own partner like he had this day.

oOo

Tai's Haiku Corner

_Falling prey to fear_  
_Backing out when you need me_  
_Unforgivable._

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** Definition of Japanese terms below:

_Yandere: _Japanese term for a person who is initially very loving and gentle to someone before their devotion becomes destructive in nature, often through violence.

I wanted this chapter to blow people's minds. Did it? I would lolololol, but not sure if my goal was obtained. 'Cause really, fluff and humor are yummilicious but angst puts meat on your bones, yar! So here, you underfed chickadees, have some plot. It makes you grow strong and healthy. The angsty plot cake does exists and you shall eat it, I say, muwahahahahaha! X3 Ahem, sorry, never mix soda and coffee. Not that I did. But never drink them at the same time as well either.

Some of you may have noticed some similarities with this chapter and my fic Reboot. I did steal a little bit of plotage from there. If you think the Virus here resembled a chibi Miasmamon, you're right. It wasn't Miasmamon, but it was what Miasmamon was composed up of: dark, negative energy. Miasmamon in my mind was a Digimon based on nothing but hundreds of Viruses collected into one being. I always wondered why some Virus types were so evil (i.e. Myotismon) while others surprised me when I learned they were a Virus (i.e. Wormmon). In any case, I have to assume there is a very basic form that a Virus takes without a host. I tried to portray it here. I'll go into this more next chapter. And for those who may be wondering why Daemon hasn't showed up or Ken being kidnapped yet, AUs do tend to change events a little. It'll probably happen a little later in the storyline than the show.

Songs I listened to while writing this: "Falling Down" by Oasis. "Boulevard of Flashing Lights" by Party Ben and Oasis. "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. "Planterium" (the Hana Yori Dango version) by Ai Otsuka. Oh yeah, angsty songs. Good times. I really suggest re-reading the scenes with one of those. It tears you up. The first two are good for reading the beginning and battle scenes, while the last two are good for right after Tai realizes what a giant douche he was being. (I also listened to "Poor Unfortunate Souls" the Little Mermaid version too). *bluuuuush*

Next chapter: guess who shows up? Dun, dun, duuuuuuuun!

P.S. I know people can't wait until everyone finds out bout Tai and Jun. It shall be of epic proportion, kekeke! Davis won't tell because he considers the whole thing to be downright embarrassing.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	18. Tidal Wave

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below after chapter.

**Ch.17 Tidal Wave**

Grey.

It was the first thing Tai saw when he passed through the gateway. A mixture of black and white that reflected the sun so brightly he had to squint his eyes against the glare of its sharpness.

Dead earth.

Dry-crusted, empty water-beds.

Bleak, overcast sky.

The entire Digital World lay shrouded under the spell of sickness the grim color cast upon it.

From behind, he heard the quiet footsteps of Izzy as he came to stop beside him.

"What happened here?" Tai asked dumb-founded.

"Hmm," Izzy mused, his mind already swiftly at work on a half-formed hypothesis. "When Azulongmon gave up some of his power to help us fight in the real world… it might have caused the defenses of the Digital World to weaken and now the balance is thrown off."

"So it's… our fault?" This vast expanse of ruined devastation as far as the eye could see was all to blame because the Digidestined, its defenders, were not strong enough on their own to defeat the evil once again threatening to consume both worlds?

"_So fragile. So weak. You humans are pathetic." _

Had the Virus known what was happening to the Digital World? Had it already started to erode when the Digimon had unleashed chaos at Matt's concert? Had they held the humans responsible? Was that why they had attacked so viciously?

If was true then they had every right to be angry then, had every grounds to accuse them of being weak.

Something thumped him on top of his head without force that caused his hair to actually lay flat for three seconds before springing back upright in place. He turned to see Izzy frowning at him clutching a rolled-up paper in his hand.

"I absolutely forbid you to sulk for the entirety of our stay here," was the warning he received before the boy brushed past him, calling over his shoulder as he went. "You can be worse than Matt at that when you put your mind to it."

Okay, that was an insult that even Tai wouldn't say to his worst enemies. "I do not," he said petulantly as he trudged after him. They walked along in silence for at least fifteen minutes across the ruined landscape until Tai finally relented and questioned, "Do I?" worriedly when Izzy failed to reply.

"No, I'm sorry, that was an over-exaggeration," Izzy said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "No one sulks on the scale Matt does. I just wanted to snap you out of the mood before you fell in completely. Koromon needs to feel your support right now, not your anxiety over your self-esteem issues."

_Koromon…_ Tai thought gazing down in pained remorse at his partner sleeping in his arms._ Look_ _what I've done to you._

"It wasn't your fault, you know," Izzy said suddenly, stopping in front of the entrance to a forest composed up of bare, skeletal trees and dropping his supply pack. "Not entirely at least."

"What do you mean?" Tai asked walking over and standing uncertainly at where camp was indicated to be made. He didn't like the idea of spending the night at the base of what looked like a creepy, haunted forest—oh, god, he _was_ losing his nerve if something so childish concerned him so much! Some Child of Courage he was.

"I mean it wasn't like you to back down in a situation like that especially if you had suspicions about something being wrong with Agumon," Izzy said coolly as he unpacked his laptop and looked him squarely in the eye. "That night at Matt's concert it wasn't only Agumon who had an unforeseen side affect—you got touched by a Bakemon's Dark Claw attack, didn't you?"

_A decaying clawed hand shooting out from underneath a Bakemon's cloak and wrapping itself around his neck in an icy cold grip… his lungs convulsing… the world growing fuzzy…_

"So what?" Tai asked the question catching him off guard.

"So it's not only an attack aimed at physically harming its victim. It also amplifies any doubts a person has in their hearts. I don't know what Agumon did or said this morning, but it obviously unnerved you enough that it prompted some small remnant of the attack to sweep over your mind—"

"Don't try and make me feel better, Izzy!" Tai snapped. "There's no excuse for what I did! None!"

"Fine, wallow in your own self-induced guilt if that's the only thing that will satisfy you!" Izzy shot back. "I wasn't trying to put the blame on something else for the purpose of easing your conscience. I was trying to prove a point that we all should be aware of for later battles: that the mental and internal attacks can be just as dangerous or perhaps even more than the physical ones. And that humans can be affected by them too, although they seem to differ slightly on us due to our anatomy. We should all be more careful in the future and not withhold information from each other."

There was a kind of quiet anger echoing in Izzy's voice faintly reminiscent of when Kari had been trapped in the Digital World and he had been left out of the rescue operation.

"_I expect to be treated with the same respect I give to all of you,"_ he had said back then.

Tai hadn't done the team any favors by keeping silent about Agumon's bevahior. The situation could have turned out a whole lot worse than what had happened. Yet he hadn't told Izzy when he had asked if anything was wrong and it wasn't just because he had been in denial that his own partner had threatened him.

It was because in order to tell Izzy about it, he would have had to explain what Agumon had said and reveal his and Jun's newfound relationship.

It wasn't that he was embarrassed about it. It was just that the others didn't know Jun like he had grown to. They had never seen all the multiple complex personalities the girl was capable of—the good as well as the bad. They would be on his case hounding him, giving him all sorts of reasons on how he had made a poor decision, thinking he was insane the minute they found out. Tai wanted to postpone all that for as long as possible. He wanted them to accept Jun. He wanted Jun to accept his friends. He was a long shot that wouldn't hit the mark so easily.

And yet… he had to tell _someone._ His relationship was affecting Agumon. What if it hadn't been just the Virus talking this morning? What if in some small measure Agumon felt as if he was being replaced in Tai's heart? It was abundantly clear that Agumon already thought he was of no more use as his partner.

There was no more point in trying to hide the fact.

Tai sat down heavily on a patch of dead grass and gave a weary sigh. "Jun and I are… um…" Well he couldn't exactly call it dating since they never had actually been on one. He wasn't sure if that night at the arcade counted since they weren't technically together then. He struggled for the right words. "Jun and I are…"

"A couple," Izzy finished as answering a fill in the blank question on a quiz.

Tai gaped at him. Izzy hadn't even sounded surprised. He didn't look it for that matter either. He was calmly unpacking his sleeping bag and the wrapped bentos his mom had made earlier for them. Then Izzy raised his eyes, caught sight of Tai's gob-smacked expression and looked as if he was refraining himself from laughing out loud.

"Well, you certainly aren't being very discreet about it," he said pointing to the charm bracelet on Tai's wrist.

It was one for thing for Davis to recognize an object that belonged to his sister. It was another thing for Izzy to do the same.

"How can you be so sure it isn't Kari's?" he asked covering the bracelet with his other hand.

"I know you care for your sister a lot, but I doubt it extends to wearing one of her accessories, regardless that you tried to force Matt to wear one. Plus, if it was Kari's bracelet I'm at a loss at why she would have the English letter 'J' as a charm on it. You'd think it'd be a 'T' or a 'D'," Izzy said grinning wryly.

"And I would kill them both after having a very long discussion with her," Tai growled before realizing his slip-up.

Izzy nodded satisfied that his assumption had been correct and Tai gnawed on his lower lip feeling unsure and wondering why his friend wasn't reacting more. "Well, aren't you going to try and convince me I'm out of my mind and demand an explanation for why I did something so crazy?" he asked.

"Do you believe that?"

"No," Tai said firmly.

"Then I can trust you know what you're doing and that you must really like her a great deal if you want to go out with her," Izzy stated.

Tai was silent feeling grateful towards Izzy for his acceptance and hoped that the rest of his friends would be just as understanding. In his lap, one of Koromon's ears twitched, draping itself over his arm and Tai's muscles stiffened as he remembered his problem.

"I think…" he said slowly. "I think Agumon believes that I'm only humoring him by keeping him as a partner—that I don't need him anymore. I think he might feel like I will forget about him with Jun in the picture now." Tai related the Virus-induced outbursts Agumon had spoken that morning. "And you know the worst part?" he murmured feeling his chest constrict. "I don't think my throwing him aside or that he's not as strong as he used to be is even what is causing him so much pain. It's the fact that someday… I will die… and he can't do anything to stop it."

"Ah," Izzy said quietly, his head bent over the ring of stones he was building to prepare a bonfire. "He said as much the night of Matt's concert."

"It's strange…" Tai murmured absentmindedly stroking Koromon's ears, "once you realize that Digimon don't really die, do they? That they can reconfigure themselves like broken Lego pieces."

"Nice analogy but you're wrong."

"What?" Tai blinked. A shadow had passed over Izzy's face as his hands balled up into fists at his side noting his tension.

"There is a way Digimon can die," he declared lifting his eyes up and reflecting the sadness stored away in them. "Remember what happened to Wizardmon?"

Tai's stomach gave a sickening swoop as a jolt like lightning raced throughout his body. His eyes widened in horror. "His data got stuck in the real world so it wasn't able to reform at Primary Village," he whispered.

"Our world is just as dangerous to them as theirs is to us," Izzy proclaimed grimly.

All those times. All those times their Digimon had fought in the real world sometimes only grasping at victory by a hairsbreadth… only an inch away from being permanently deleted without the option to be reborn. Forced forever to roam as misconfigured remnants of data—what a lonely, wretched existence, if you even could deign to call it an existence at all.

The conversation lulled after that, no one really wanting to delve deeper on the subject finding it extremely depressing. Camp was set up swiftly and dinner eaten almost in silence, the battle from early that morning taking its toll out on them. Sleep came effortlessly, all of them too tired to even dream.

oOo

The next day began on a more cheery note than it had yesterday. No evil entities had ventured out of the skeletal forest during the night to devour their souls. A healthy shine had appeared back in Koromon's eyes overnight and the heavy weight of despair seemed to have lifted from him at least temporarily. They feasted on a hearty breakfast of rice porridge, _tamagoyaki _and plum pickles. Mrs. Izumi's cooking still tasted good even at one day old. It was nice eating normally for once instead of having to fret about whether or not he would survive his mother's latest food invention. It would have made for a great camping trip if the scenery had been a bit more pleasant. Sometime mid-morning, Tentomon dropped out of the sky to join them. His enthusiasm at being reunited with Izzy and his merry banter seemed to lift everyone's spirits and provided adequate company for Koromon long enough for Izzy to take advantage and catch Tai unawares.

"Here, spend your time doing something useful," Izzy said dropping several books at his friend's feet without warning.

"What's this?" Tai asked picking up a book and leafing through its contents before dropping it like a red hot chili pepper. "I can't believe you!" he exclaimed shooting a glare at him. "How can you honestly expect me to write an essay on Plato's Ideals right now?"

"Your mind could use the exercise," Izzy said. "It should be a convenient method to distract yourself from brooding too much."

"How do you even have the correct homework assignments? You're not in my Literature class let alone my grade!"

"My Literature teacher recommended me to Takashi-sensei after I corrected him on the proper usage of asyndeton and alliteration in front of the entire class. Something about my deserving to be in 'that idiot's honors courses and get taught a real lesson', though I wasn't supposed to hear that last part. It's a total sham—the honors course for the first years is simply the same material you juniors are learning for the semester. However, this did allow me the opportunity to ensure you wouldn't fall behind on your studies." Upturning his backpack, Izzy unloaded a pile of notebooks and folders into his lap.

"I hate you… _so much,"_ Tai gritted out through his teeth.

"You're welcome," Izzy beamed cheerily, sounding far too smug for his own good.

And so for the remainder of his short vacation was spent in grueling conditions where Tai racked his brain desperately for even the smallest seed of inspiration but nothing came. To be quite honest, he wondered how far Izzy had actually read into the material if he thought it would help take his mind off of the bleak circumstances that surrounded them. If anything, Plato's theories could have played cheerleader to the thoughts swirling around the back of his head like a violent typhoon.

Plato, for a dead, ancient Greek guy, seemed to have postulated the theory that reality was divided into two: the idea or ideal. That ultimate reality was permanent, eternal, spiritual. On the other hand, there was phenomena, which was a manifestation of the ideal. Phenomena were appearances—things as they looked to people—and were associated with matter, time, and space. Phenomena were illusions which decay and die. Ideals were unchanging, perfect.

The blatant parallel between humans and Phenomena and Ideals and Digimon was almost too blunt to handle. It made Tai wonder if Plato had ever stumbled upon a rogue gateway to the Digital World and Digimon that resided there the way his theories were worded so carefully.

His assignment certainly wasn't easing the stress and worry he had bottled up inside about what happened to Digimon once their human partners had died. It was merely amplifying those volatile emotions.

So it was hardly surprising that by the end of the day he only had the title of the essay typed out on Izzy's precious laptop that he had generously donated to him.

"'_Plato's Ideals'_? That's all you have typed?" Izzy exclaimed looking over his shoulder at the blank Word document. "What were you doing this whole time? Playing Minesweeper?"

"Forget it. I'm not writing this bogus essay. I'll just take the 'F'," Tai declared uncurling from his cross-legged position on the ground. His knees unlocked as he stood and his spine made a small cracking sound as it straightened which he hoped was the result from someone sitting so long hunched over and not his fractured vertebrae acting up.

He heard the sound of protest starting from within Izzy's throat and interjected him abruptly. "Please tell me you have seen the similarities also and I'm not just reading too much into things."

Izzy picked up a book that Tai had been using for potential reference quotes and noted the pages that had been dog-eared and the passages printed on them. Looking chagrined, he rubbed his temple with one hand and sighed. "I had forgotten about this particular theory. I did my essay on Plato's dichotomy between the body and soul. Sorry."

"You'll understand why I don't really want to hear anymore about what the old coot had to say or formulize then," Tai said walking over to check on Koromon who was snuggled up in his sleeping bag, a symphony of snores resounding in the air around him.

"Tai, I know you're worried about the future. We all are, but—"

"But what? Just accept it and move on with what's left of our lives? What about them? We'll be gone and they'll be left behind with an eternity to spend alone with memories that will only make them miserable!" A dull headache had formed between his eyes. Exhaustion came crashing down on him like a tidal wave. He flopped down beside Koromon feeling drained and stared out into the distance.

The sun was setting in the sky casting a fiery-red glow upon the dead blackened land below. It looked as if blood were seeping through the crust and staining the surface of the entire Digital World.

He wasn't sure if he was more relieved or disappointed when Izzy tactfully retreated from the argument striving to occur in order to avoid provoking him further. That for once, for all his and his position as the Chosen Child of Knowledge, Izzy had no response he could think of or any advice to give.

oOo

_It was like being lost inside a funhouse. A world composed of eerie distorted colors that bent in and out of focus._

"_Taiii… I won't let you down ever again… I can be strong now…" _

_Suddenly, a face formed out of the blackness—green eyes filmed over in death but still blazed just as fiercely, bleached white bones connecting to a monolith, corpselike dinosaur._

_Horrified and appalled, he backed away but there was nowhere for him to go—he couldn't find his center on the ground that was tilting precariously from side to side like a giant see-saw beam._

"_This is what you wanted," a voice hissed out of the depths of the gaping jaws. "Power. Don't deny it."_

_SkullGreymon reached out one elongated, skeletal claw towards him and the shadows danced gleefully as they expanded, ready to engulf him into never-ending darkness…_

Tai shot upwards panting, his face and shoulders covered in sweat. Next to him, Koromon shifted and murmured incoherently in his sleep.

Dawn had barely arrived, with only the tiniest scraps of light tinting the eastern horizon. Running his hands through his hair and over his face, Tai exhaled shakily.

Just a dream. Just a nightmare, he tried to tell himself.

But he couldn't help but think that was the Digital World's way of reminding him that whenever the Digidestined had tried help out, they essentially caused even bigger blunders than before.

The air around him felt heavy and tight like the moment before a bolt of lightning strikes the ground from a thunderstorm.

Standing up, Tai stumbled away from the campsite, dead grass crunching under his feet as he made his way to the creek bed to splash water on his face. It was only when he reached it and the empty bowel filled his vision did he remember the state of the Digital World.

A cool breeze whipped through the air, wafting across his face like silken cobweb strands, whispering accusations in his ear…

Dust swirled up in brown little clouds a few feet away in front of him as the dry, crumbling ground was trod upon. Tai glanced up thinking it was Izzy joining him.

The figure stood tall, camouflaged so completely into the monochrome background that only the tell-tale rays of the early morning light gleaming off the obsidian and silver armor revealed his identity...

BlackWarGreymon stood on the opposite side of the empty bank staring at him with calculating golden eyes much like a wolf that has stumbled upon its quarry quite by accident and was debating whether or not he was in the mood for sport.

Tai felt the coldness tighten around his chest as his limbs locked into place rooting him to the spot. His mind spun wildly assessing the situation, possibilities of what his next move should be to escape his current predicament rushed forward.

His options were very limited. He could either turn tail and run—run like a coward—back to the encampment and hope by some miracle that either BlackWarGreymon decided he didn't like fast food or in the off-chance that he might, hope that Koromon and Tentomon had the strength to fight him. Yeah, right.

Or he could stay and face him, find out what he wanted. Agumon had talked to him before. He stoutly defended that he wasn't all bad.

Option two weighed out as the better choice. The old mentality "if it runs, it's prey" was bludgeoning its way all about the inside of his skull with a kind of frantic repentance and he really didn't feel like disproving it.

So Tai refused to back down and remained where he stood not moving a muscle for what seemed like an eternity returning the Mega Digimon's assessing gaze and wondering how long it would take for one of them to cave into doing something first.

Stoic as ever, BlackWarGreymon slowly lifted one dangerously-sharp armored claw… and pointed in the direction of the camp in the distance.

"That Koromon," he said. "It was once an Agumon was it not? We conversed before."

Tai said nothing though he knew he should. Say something, anything to keep BlackWarGreymon distracted from the fact that he had essentially wandered onto a nest of sitting targets, but his throat seemed to have lost what little moisture it had left.

BlackWarGreymon's eyes narrowed underneath his horned helmet at the lack of response to his question. "You are one of those human children," he spoke with deliberate composure as if addressing a particularly dim-witted sheep. "You fight so hard to preserve the state of this world and yet your quest has been in vain." Golden pupils swiveled to and fro at their ruined surroundings. "You seem to be doing an inadequate job."

"Yeah, well if you cared about it so much, you should have thought twice before going on a Destiny Stone destroying spree!" Tai shot back carelessly, his pride stinging from the verbal smack.

He hated this. Of having any shred of control ripped from his grasp. Of being completely helpless like a mouse caught between a cat's paws. All it would take was one swift swipe of those claws to cut his life short…

"I? Care?" BlackWarGreymon seemed to find that notion extremely amusing. "How can one who does not possess a heart care for something? It is not possible. This world does not concern me for it holds no answers." Disdain had colored BlackWarGreymon's tone quite thickly. "Let it all dissolve into nothing." The Mega Digimon turned to leave appearing to have lost interest in the conversation. Tai felt the tightness in his chest dissipate ever so slightly.

BlackWarGreymon halted in his tracks and tilted his horned helmet sideways suddenly, his slit-pupiled eyes swiveling towards him, holding a questioning light. "Azulongmon said that every life has a purpose, a meaning to their existence. Do you know what yours is?"

Confusion attempted to envelope his mind. Tai struggled valiantly to push it back. This was not the time to lose composure. He had a feeling if he didn't answer the question to BlackWarGreymon's satisfaction, he would be grinded into dust beneath the Digimon's feet. Clearing his throat, he spoke in what he hoped was a strong voice, "I'm a Digidestined—"

"_Don't_ give me such a trite answer as _that." _BlackWarGreymon cut him off abruptly, taking a warning step towards him._ "_I am not one of those weaklings that you have rescued and therefore feel compelled to worship you out of pure gratitude."

Tai's breath froze in his lungs. His tongue felt as if it were stuck to the roof of his mouth, every instinct inside him screaming for him to run as far and fast away as possible. But numbness seemed to have hijacked his nervous system.

"You were made to be a protector of this world and its inhabitants be it by Fate or the Digital Sovereigns or whatever you want to call it just as I was made to be its destroyer." BlackWarGreymon said stepping closer. "Let's both forget our origins for a short while and pretend we are creators of our own destiny." Another step. "If you had never been burdened with this role that has been placed on you, would you still know which path would lead you to your purpose, the reason for your existence?" And then he was directly in front of him gazing down with such intensity that Tai felt like he was drowning in twin pools of liquid gold. They were bright enough that he could see his own reflection: a tall, scrawny not-yet full-grown human with wild, unkempt hair and a frightened expression upon his face.

He felt disoriented. He had never given it much thought—about what his life would be like if he had never been chosen as a Digidestined, never had met Agumon, never had saved both their worlds. What would he be doing right now if he were an ordinary kid? He had often said he wanted to be a pro-soccer player, but really that was a dream, just like any kid often wished they could be a famous movie star. There had been an arrogant, vain pride he had never noticed he possessed before towards the fact that he was a Chosen Child and now to think what it would be like to have the title stripped from him terrified him more than being confronted by BlackWarGreymon at the moment.

oOo

"_Keep your precious monsters all to yourself! You think you're someone special because you have one? You think_ _it makes you a better_ _person?"_

oOo

And quite suddenly, Tai realized this was how Jun must feel. An outcast, alone, floundering in the harsh sea that was the normalcy of life, fighting against the waves that threatened to drag her under, and clinging to a fragile hope, a shard of a fallen star that was her dream, her life-line to surviving.

To be no different than anybody else, not to stand out or know he was special… would he still know the reason for his existence? To find his purpose?

BlackWarGreymon's patience had run thin at his silence. "You don't even know, do you?" he scoffed in contempt. "I cannot believe a heart would be wasted on someone like you."

The Mega turned quick on his heel, demonstrating that the discussion was now over. From behind, he looked no different than WarGreymon, the only discrepancies being his darker coloring and glaring lack of the symbol of Courage that the onyx shield he carried upon his back was so abysmally devoid of.

The sight jarred Tai's senses fully awake.

How dare he come and subject him to an interrogation and assume he could answer such bizarre questions. How dare he come and cause doubt to infiltrate his already distressed mind. How dare he come and make him feel like he didn't deserve to be a Digidestined!

A cool rage swelled up inside him. His muscles contracted as tiny shivers of anger shook throughout his body. Before he knew it, he had already scrambled down the bank, across the empty creek-bed and up the other side without thinking.

"Don't act so condescending!" he shouted in a blind fury. "Don't you know that to have a heart means it's never fully yours to begin with? You have to be prepared to give it away before you can ever truly own one!"

Far too late, after the words were already spoken, did the full gravity of what he had just done wash over him. Tai stood there in a state of dread amazed at his own recklessness. He had just pounded the final nail into his own coffin. Who mouths off to BlackWarGreymon and lives?

BlackWarGreymon had paused in his progression to leave, his golden eyes widening in bewilderment. He seemed rattled to the core. "Your words… make no sense," he finally said though there was a subtle reservation in his tone. The Mega gave him one last glance over as if doing a double take, as if trying to figure this puny, inferior human out. "Your Agumon said something of a similar kind not long ago." His gaze hardened. "I think you both a pair of fools."

He lifted into the sky with a mighty flurry of his wings and soared high up into the breaking dawn. With the splendor of its golden colors reflecting off his obsidian armor, he resembled WarGreymon for the briefest of moments before his silhouette was swallowed up by the sun.

Tai fell backwards against the dead grass as his legs gave out underneath him and placed one hand over his chest where he could feel the wild thumping of his heart inside his ribcage pumping out blood frantically to join the adrenalin that was coursing through his veins.

That was he was found a half hour later still sitting in the same spot. He could hear the quiet padding of the Digimon's feet long before they reached him, but he wasn't alarmed. Over the years, he had grown accustomed to the sound of the familiar gait.

Agumon, having at last drawn in enough energy to digivolve, came to stand next to him. His nostrils gave a tiny twitch as they inhaled the air. "You met him," he said happily.

There was no need to ask who _he_ was. "Yes," Tai said staring up into the space of sky where BlackWarGreymon had vanished.

Surprisingly, Agumon didn't ask what their conversation had been about. "What did you think of him?" the orange dinosaur asked sounding eagerly curious.

"I think he needs to read Plato's Ideals to find the answers he's seeking," Tai said humorlessly.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** Definition of Japanese terms below:

_Tamagoyaki:_ Japanese-styled omelet made by rolling together several layers of cooked egg. (Looks sort of like an egg sushi if you ask me^^)

This chapter caused me no end of grief. I literally would work on it every single day for the past month and piece by piece the pages would come ever so slowly. I couldn't rush it no matter how hard I tried. This chapter is mostly a prop for future chapters: plotage set-up something major. Nothing much happens here, but it will link to later events I promise.

I've had numerous reviewers ask why any Digimon unleashed on the real world feels compelled to attack it. I've wondered that myself. I'm not sure if it is simply a poor choice of the show's writers or because most of the Digimon set loose are Viruses and it is in their nature to seek and destroy. Who knows? I wanted to give them a reason other than that here though, hence the whole Digital World slowly dying and of course they'll be angry at that.

I also wanted Tai to meet BlackWarGreymon and have a little talk with him like Agumon did. Heck, I wanted that when I first watched the show years back! Come on, the guy is like a freaking Greymon magnet if you take into account the Highton View Terrace Incident. Something about him draws Greymon to him like bees to honey. In any case, I plan to have a few more meetings/convos between the two before the end. More of Plato's theories will be brought up. Should be interesting^-~

So now Izzy knows about Tai and Jun too. He's pretty perceptive so I figured it would go against his character if he didn't notice the truth. I think it's too funny when someone is dreading to tell something and the other person guesses before it is revealed and isn't surprised at all. Anti-climatic revelations are always hilarious. But never fear, as much as the other Digidestined are aware something is going on between Tai and Jun, they are too steeped in denial to actually believe it's anything this serious, haha! They'll soon get a rude awakening on the matter.

Fun Facts: You know what I realized while writing this chapter? Tai is an Unreliable Narrator. XD I was looking through my other fics and wondering why the feel of this one was so… weird. It wasn't just because it was humorous or the various, odd writing styles dotted within like the haikus, plays, and logical premises. No, it's simply because this story is written solely from Tai's POV and you can't really believe what he tells you because largely it is composed up from his emotions and opinions. Take the play he wrote for example. I had reviewers asking if all that had really happened. Yes it did, all except the ending where WarGreymon pops in. Tai wrote the play as a vent for his frustration and anger and instead of physically hurting everyone like he wanted, he acted out his desires on paper. As much as 90% or maybe even less of what he says is true, about 10% or more isn't and part of that is because he jumps to conclusions too quickly thus his credibility at presenting the facts shouldn't be trusted.

I listened to Owl City a lot while writing this chapter, most specifically, "Tidal Wave" which whoa, describes Tai's mentality at this point in the story, hence the shameless naming of the title. Plus there are multiple allusions to water and waves and whatnot. It's fitting. I did switch to "Dance of the Headless Corpse" by Zombie Girl while I was writing Tai's nightmare. My gosh, that song is creepy! I would not want to listen to that while exploring a haunted house or being anyplace dark! *shivers*

Next chapter: Back in the real world! I might reveal Tai and Jun's relationship to everyone or wait until the chapter after. It all depends on how long the chapter becomes.

P.S. I have a Progress With Fics section in my profile that I will try and keep updated on how far I have typed the next chapter so reviewers won't get so angsty next time it takes this long.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	19. Centrifugal Motion

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 18 Centrifugal Motion**

Agumon had developed a disturbing obsession with Plato's works.

Disturbing but not unforeseen since it had been his partner who suggested it might be just the right solution that BlackWarGreymon was looking for. BlackWarGreymon, who was another obsession of Agumon that the small dinosaur was determined to help out in any way possible.

Which was the reason why Tai found him seated on the floor of his room in front of the tv, deeply immersed in watching a documentary the History channel was showing on the ancient Greek philosopher.

It made sense sort of. Agumon was a Digimon with no formal or basic education that human children were taught. He couldn't just pick up a book and start reading since he had zero literary skills. Heck, Tai himself sometimes had trouble remembering which kanji meant what. Therefore, different ways to learn more about his new interest had to be found. Tai had mentioned his rather embarrassing problem to Izzy upon arriving back in the real world once it had become so prominently apparent in his partner and Izzy had solved it by checking out all the video material the library had to offer on the subject and dropping them off at his apartment.

Of course, that was _after _he had demanded to know the reason behind Agumon's sudden obsession and Tai had been forced to unveil his and BlackWarGreymon's unwitting heart-to-heart session they had back in the Digital World.

Metaphorically speaking, since BlackWarGreymon had no heart or so he claimed.

At least, that was what Agumon was trying to disprove by taking in so much of Plato's theories.

In any case, Izzy had been more than a little angry that Tai hadn't revealed this right away especially after he had warned him about the consequences of withholding information from team members. Tai had sit through an hour-long lecture of hearing his friend rant over the "not being taken seriously" and "you need to get over your trust issues" and "friends share each other's loads, so am I your friend or not?"

At which point, being extremely hungry and thus also grouchy and tired of listening to the long tirade, Tai had snapped at him that he didn't need another Matt-clone in his life.

At which, in response to the rather rude comment, Izzy had taken offense and blinded him in the eyes with a searing beam of light from his wireless laser mouse, then stormed off while Tai was collapsed on the ground literally seeing red and thus far, hadn't spoken to him since.

Which was why he ignored Izzy's call when the number appeared on his cell phone right as he came back with his mother from a visit to the doctor and found Agumon watching Plato with his headphones covering the small slits he had for ears to block out any sound that might emit from the tv and cause the Kamiya parents to wonder why there appeared to be someone in their son's bedroom when no one else was supposed to be home.

If Izzy wanted to know how his check up had gone, he would have to just ask Kari. Tai really didn't feel like talking to people who fought unfairly—using technology as a weapon was just sinking to an all-new low. No wonder the world was in the state in was in now. Whatever had happened to bare-handed fists fights, swords and clubs? Give him the good old Vikings over Plato any day.

Knowing Agumon wouldn't hear him even if he called out his name, Tai took off one of his gloves, rolled it up into a ball and threw it at him. It bounced off the top of the small dinosaur's head taking the headphones with it. They fell to the floor where an old man's voice drifted faintly out of the speakers no doubt droning on about the awesomeness of Plato.

Lifting one claw to the side of his head and scratching it, Agumon cast a befuddled gaze around for the reason the headphones had been knocked off. His eyes lit up with the caught sight of his partner standing in front of the closed door. "Tai, you're back!" he cried delightedly, springing up and rushing over, latching claws around the boy's middle in a hearty hug. "How did the check up go?"

"Fine," Tai smiled. "They said my vertebrae are all healing nicely. I just have to keep wearing this compression brace until the allotted time is over. Doc says if all goes well, I can most likely play in the spring soccer season."

His cell phone continued ring with Izzy's persistence until Tai turned it off. He couldn't help but imagine Izzy's enraged face as his call was cut off without warning. He could probably expect another retaliation at their next confrontation. Maybe something like Izzy trying to strangle him with his massive headphones in a chain shot attack—no, Izzy wasn't into physical violence. He would most likely send a virus via email that would crash his computer then Tai would be forced to be the first one to come forward if he wanted it fixed.

"Have you eaten yet? Did Kari feed you?" Tai asked.

"She and Gatomon left almost right you and your mom. She said they were going over to T.K.'s," Agumon said.

"_Reeeeally?" _Tai drew out, not sure how to take the news. He wouldn't have thought twice about it before since he knew T.K. was Kari's friend and part of the younger Digidestined team, but now after his discussion with Izzy in the Digital World he was slowly beginning to realize that as much as he didn't want to admit it, his sister was growing up and might be starting to see boys in a different light.

"I think it has something to do with the children Oikawa implanted the Dark Spores in," Agumon shared.

Oikawa. The face to their mystery man who had given the warning "what happened five years ago isn't over yet" had finally been revealed. And he was working alongside of Arukeniemon and Mummymon on top of that.

No, what was scary… was that it appeared _they_ were working under _him._

After they had returned to the real world, the first thing Izzy had done was to find out what events had transpired in their absence.

They had received a full-scale account from Davis full of colorful language of how some "creepy pedo bastard kidnapped Ken, tossed him in the back of a van, and tied him up like a pretzel for his own sick purposes!"

Their horror had melted into mostly concern when Yolei had correctly re-informed them with clearer details.

Ken possessed a Dark Spore which had received in one of his earlier visits to the Digital World. It had the ability to slowly and subtly increase the intelligence of its human hosts as well as their athletic prowess to genius levels.

Oikawa had somehow known of its existence and had kidnapped Ken to make copies which he implanted into the children who had gone missing, whom he had appeared to have successfully lured away with coaxing and promises of their dreams being fulfilled; Mummymon and Arukeniemon had been his tools in getting his message out and delivering the children to him.

oOo

"_He s-said… he said he could m-make me s-superior… t-that all my w-wishes would be g-granted…"_

oOo

"…_she s-said I was too o-old for it to spr-rout p-properly…"_

oOo

To think that Jun had been so close to receiving one… the idea wasn't pleasant, especially since Ken had already demonstrated the side effects of what a Dark Spore's power could do.

It seemed Tai was missing out on practically every major event thrown their way. Not that the older kids could done much good without their partners there, but it was making him extremely irritated. Perhaps BlackWarGreymon wasn't far off in thinking that Fate or the Digital Sovereigns had some personal vendetta against certain people.

Tai turned his cell phone back on and dialed a number he had only called a few times before.

The person picked up on the first ring. "Hello?" Jun's voice sounded in his ears, the most beautiful thing Tai thought he had ever heard before.

Tai lost his ability to speak for several seconds. "Hey… I'm back," he finally managed to get out before slapping his free hand to his forehead and grimacing. What kind of greeting had that been? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"Well, that only took _one_ whole day for you to call and let me know," Jun said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Tai winced. He knew he should have called earlier. Now she was angry. Even though he had left to help Agumon, it still didn't change the fact that to her it looked like her newfound boyfriend had run off and deserted her.

oOo

"_Everyone… everyone always leaves!"_

oOo

"I know, I'm sorry," Tai apologized. "I should have at least called before I left instead of letting Davis tell you for me—"

"Darn right! And I can't believe you told him about us—I've had to put up with 'you've bewitched Taichi-sempai, you crone'," Jun shrilled doing a pretty good imitation of Davis' voice. "And 'sempai's a great guy so don't go screwing this relationship up like all the others!'"

"Actually, your brother figured out about us on his own," Tai explained. "You should give him more credit than he receives. He's a lot smarter than people think."

"Hmph!" Jun huffed. There was a short pause before she asked, "Any particular reason you called other than to tell me you're back in town?"

"Um…" Tai thought he had been getting good at reading Jun's moods, but he wasn't sure what kind of tone that had been. "I thought… if it was okay with you… I could come over to your place…"

"_Well_…" Jun drawled slowly as if considering. "You _could_… but I won't answer the door."

"Oh," Tai said. So, she _was_ angry and didn't want to see him then.

"Because I'm not there, _baka!" _Jun shrieked with laughter surprising him. "I'm at the park by the skating rink! Meet up with me and we can make it a date!"

"A d-d-date?" Tai stuttered, feeling his temperature rise several degrees.

"That's why you really called, didn't you?" Jun pressed sounding amused. "Or did you have this crazy notion that we could be an official couple without any romantic rendezvous?"

"Er…" Now Tai felt like flames had engulfed entire face.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Jun urged. "If you don't know how to ice skate, I'll teach you, but it's just like inline skating, so you should be fine if you've ever done that. And we can build snowmen and drink hot chocolate and who knows? I might even let you kiss me again."

_Kiss._

The memory of Jun's lips against his sent tingles all throughout his body. He_ did_ want to kiss her again. Quite badly.

"Tai, you're face is all red," Agumon spoke up worriedly. "Are you getting sick? Do you have a fever?"

"W-what?" Tai exclaimed, his face flushing a darker shade. "N-no, I'm fine!"

"Who's that there with you?" Jun wanted to know.

"Oh, that's my just partner, Agumon," Tai said distractedly, trying to get his hormones back under control.

"Your Digimon?" Jun squealed excitedly. "Bring him along! I want to meet him!"

"Really?" Tai asked in disbelief. "You sure he won't be like a third wheel or something?"

"Are you starting to become jealous of your own Digimon now?" Jun giggled.

"Don't be silly!"

"Then bring him along. I'll see you guys in half an hour, _ja mata!" _Jun sung out before ending the call.

Tai snapped his cell phone shut then turned and sifted through his closet hastily. "Here, Agumon, wear this!" he ordered tossing a rain poncho at him.

"Why? Are we going outside?" Agumon asked.

"We're going on a freaking _date,_ buddy," Tai stated with relish.

"A date?" Agumon look confused. "What's that?"

"It's where two people who possess a mutual understanding and familiarity agree to hang out with each other and do recreational activities," Tai quoted matter-of-factly.

Even though he was socially inept in most areas, sometimes Joe amazed him at his knowledge at the finer departments in life.

oOo

Jun was there to greet them when they arrived, standing in front of the rink waving energetically, her skates that she was gripping by the shoelaces slung over the shoulder of her white waist-coat. The hood was pulled tight around her face to block off the wind and the white of fur trimming was making the pink on her nose and cheeks from the cold stand out.

He had taken a trolley car to get to the park, however he felt short of breath when caught sight of her like he had run a twelve-mile marathon.

"H-he… hello," he stammered as they stopped in front of her.

"Hello yourself," Jun said, beaming a pearly-white smile at him before dropping her gaze to the figure who stood at Tai's right, his head about waist-level. "And you must be Agumon," she declared leaning forward slightly and placing her hands on her knees to get a better look.

"Hello, pleased to finally meet you in person," Agumon said extending one claw out in welcome.

"Oh my, so polite!" Jun gasped, taking his claw in one hand and shaking it. "Where did you learn those manners with such an uncivilized partner like Taichi?"

"I am not uncivilized!" Tai protested until he realized Jun was teasing him judging by the way her shoulders were shaking with mirth.

"A true gentleman would have introduced a lady to his companion immediately," Jun reprimanded him before turning to the small dinosaur and apologizing. "Sorry for the whack-job I gave you on our first meeting."

"Oh, that?" Agumon said seeming to remember and rubbing the top of his head where Jun had bashed his skull in with the empty thermal pail that Christmas Eve night. "Don't worry about it. Tai always tells me I'm too hard-headed for my own good!"

Jun laughed, seating herself on a bench, pulling off her boots and slipping on her skates. "Oi," she said as tugged on the laces. "Are you going to skate too or what?"

"Oh, um… I don't think that would be a good idea," Tai tried to wriggle his way out. He had never been particularly good at inline skating much less ice skating. He didn't want to make a fool of himself in front of the girl he liked. You know… more than he already had so far in their history together. "My back… doctor's orders and all," he said placing one hand on it for support. Well, it was convenient excuse. And it was true.

"What are you pregnant or something?" Jun scoffed grabbing him by the wrist and towing him to the edge of the rink. "Wait right here," she ordered with a familiar devious glint in her eyes. "I've got an idea."

oOo

Which was how Tai found himself tottering on wobbly, unsteady legs on the ice ten minutes later trying his best to stay upright and not fall flat on his face or his back which had been strapped with a giant butt-warming pillow Jun had bought off some old lady.

"You have to bend your knees!" Jun cackled at the sight skating circles around him. "Look, even Agumon is faring better than you!"

Tai glanced to his left where Agumon, still hidden under his rain poncho, seemed to have found his momentum and was sliding one clawed foot after the other effortlessly along the cool sheet of ice. He even had appeared to make some new friends: two young children, a boy and a girl, who were giggling delightedly as they gripped either side of his arms. The three of them skated past them, Agumon taking the time to shout an enthusiastic "hellooooo!" at his partner before he was gone in a blur of color.

"Yeah, well, he has help and doesn't feel like Quasimodo," Tai mumbled under his breath as he struggled to find his footing.

Quite suddenly, Jun was there at his side taking careful hold of his arm and helping him balance upright. "The secret is not to think about what you're doing," she said before leaning close and whispering in his ear, "Don't worry," her breath tickling the inside. "Esmeralda will look after you."

Then his mind was blissfully blank for a few wonderful seconds and he could feel nothing except the bright warmth that was Jun's hand touching his own as she carefully guided him step by each step until they were gliding along in perfect rhythm.

"See? It's not so bad after all, is it?" she teased.

And it was like Oikawa, Arukeniemon, Mummymon, BlackWarGreymon and the Digital Sovereigns didn't exist.

For one glorious afternoon, he didn't feel as if he had been deemed worthless and outdated merchandise tossed aside and that the ones in charge had upgraded to a brand new defense system.

For just a couple of hours, he didn't have to face the painful fact that it was most likely true.

They skated until their toes and legs were beginning to numb from the coldness beneath their feet. They stopped at a vendor's stall and bought two cups of hot chocolate.

"You want one, Agumon?" Tai asked turning to look for his partner. He didn't see him. "Agumon?"

"Looks like you've got some competition," Jun laughed, pointing over where Agumon and the two children were standing in front of another vendor and biting into steamed dumplings.

Tai smiled glad Agumon was enjoying himself and secretly pleased that his attention had been drawn away for the majority of their outing so that he had been able to have more time with Jun alone.

"Acha-cha-cha!" Jun hissed next to him as she burned her tongue on the hot liquid and drew in several breaths of the cool, wintry air greedily. There was whipped cream smeared just above her mouth and her lips were stained a rich, dark-brown color. Tai wondered what they would taste like…

A smirk broke out across Jun's face as she caught him staring. "You perv," she crooned.

"W-what?"

"You were thinking of kissing me just now, weren't you?" Jun tittered, pressing two fingers against her chocolate-smeared lips.

"N-no I wasn't!" Tai lied. Suddenly, he didn't feel very cold anymore, rather very, very hot.

"Silly, silly boy," Jun tsked shaking her sadly. "If you want to kiss me then go ahead and _kiss_ me."

A voice was screaming inside his head not to, that they were in public, in plain sight, but Jun was already pursing her lips out to form a plump pout and gazing at him from underneath half-lidded eyelashes and Tai decided social discrepancies be damned.

He swooped down and captured her mouth in a swift and hungry kiss and was pleasantly surprised to find to his satisfaction that yes, Jun's lips did taste like chocolate.

It would have been a very fond memory except that a split second later, Jun's forehead had smacked painfully into his nose as someone sharply bumped into her from behind. The girl went sailing into his arms at the impact—not that Tai minded that part really, but her pained yelp concerned him.

"You alright?" he asked, pushing her back a little to see her face.

"Hai, hai, I'm fine," Jun muttered. A red mark was slowly appearing on her forehead and her eyes were starting to water slightly from her bruised muscles where she had been knocked into. Rubbing her sore back, she whirled wrathfully around to give a piece of her mind.

"Hey, why don't you watch where you're going, you—YOU!" she cried in shock upon seeing the identity of her assailant.

"Eh?" said a guy with a striped mohawk and nose ring, turning his head to see what the fuss was about. His eyes widened in recognition at the two people standing a few feet away. "YOU!" he exclaimed pointing at them.

"Mohawk dude," Tai stated as if it weren't already obvious, joining in on the pointing.

"What's up, boss?" Two guys bearing the same punk haircut came up to stand beside Mohawk dude and followed his line of vision. "YOU!" one of them shouted.

"I think we've established it's us," Jun replied starkly.

"You little brats!" Mohawk dude barked angrily. "You got me and the boys three days in the slammer for 'public brawling' and 'disturbing the peace'! You think you're gonna get away without any repercussions? I'm gonna make you pay!" He slammed his fist in the palm of his hand for emphasis.

"You show 'em, boss!" his two cronies cheered him on.

"Any last words, punks?" Mohawk growled descending on them threateningly.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jun said to Tai, ignoring the danger drawing nearer every second.

"Ah," Tai said, a grin breaking out in the corner of his mouth. He had been around Jun far too long for his own good. He even had developed the same brain-length as her. "It's incredible, isn't it?"

"He knows the word 'repercussions'," Tai and Jun said in unison turning to stare at Mohawk dude with twin dead-pan expressions.

Mohawk unleashed a furious howl and threw himself at them, fists swinging and all hell broke lose.

Without hesitation Jun flung the boiling contents of her Styrofoam cup into the guy's face causing him to shriek in pain and claw madly at his burned skin. With his hands now covering his eyes, he ploughed blindly past them straight onto the ice, slipped and went sailing across the sleek surface flailing his arms like windmills and doing what looked like a terrible rendition of Swan Lake, knocking skaters over left and right over like bowling pins.

They didn't have time to enjoy the spectacle. Now they had to defend themselves from Mohawk's two sidekicks who were determined to avenge their "boss-san".

Tai attempted to copy Jun's action from before, but it seemed as this particular subordinate was more perceptive than his leader. Before he could even take aim, his arm was caught in a crushing grip. With a start, Tai realized this guy was the same one he had fought with before—the one who had brought out a knife at the arcade.

Mohawk's crony leered at him widely as he saw the remembrance printed clearly across Tai's face, his free hand inching down to his left pants pocket…

In a flash, Tai had the guy's wrist a stronghold as they fought, though it was more like the both of them shoving each other back and forth roughly in an effort to throw the other off-balance.

Tai couldn't help risking a glance over his shoulder through his struggle. He was worried about Jun. There was still one other guy that hadn't been dealt with yet. His fears were alleviated when he saw Jun shriek out a "HIYA!" and nail the guy squarely in a very delicate part of the male anatomy with a vicious kick. Tai winced as the guy slumped over with a piercing screech and didn't get back up. Ouch, that had to have hurt. He should just be grateful that Jun had taken off her ice skates earlier.

His momentary distraction cost him greatly. With a violent jerk, he was twisted around, his grip on the guy he was fighting torn away. A fist came smashing into his face and he staggered backwards, his head reeling as he felt a hot fluid gush out of his nose. His senses were spinning wildly—he braced himself of another blow—and heard only an anguished scream of pain from his attacker instead.

Blearily, he tried to shake off the dizziness until finally the blurred shapes in front of him merged into focus: Mohawk's crony jerking every which way and screaming in fright as he landed hit after hit onto the small orange dinosaur whose sharp teeth were fastened around his leg.

"Agumon!" Tai shouted in horror. "Agumon, stop! Let him go!"

Agumon didn't seem to hear him. His green eyes were glazed over in a kind of wild frenzy and a deep snarling was spilling out from within his locked jaws as his body trembled with unrestrained fury.

"Oh, God, help me! Get it off!" the guy screamed sounding frantic as the dinosaur's teeth sunk further down into the heavy fabric of his ski slacks.

Tai rushed forward grabbed Agumon around the middle and attempted to pull him off by force. It wasn't working—the small dinosaur had developed lockjaw as powerful as a famished piranha.

"Let go, Agumon!" Tai cried again. "Please, let go! You're hurting him!"

His words finally appeared to reach through as the milky-ness faded from his partner's eyes and his body ceased its trembling. The snarling, however, remained even as Agumon reluctantly opened his jaws to release his victim. The guy stumbled backwards in his haste to get away; there was a ripping sound as some material of his slacks caught on the dinosaur's teeth leaving a long strip of fabric dangling out of his mouth.

"That! _That!_ What is that thing?" the guy shrieked pointing at the Digimon in Tai's arms. Agumon's hood had fallen off his head exposing his reptilian features. "I-it's one of those monsters that was on tv, isn't it!

From all around him, Tai heard the clamor and cries of surprise as the bystanders took notice of the creature in their midst.

"What are you doing with one? Y-y-you're on their side, aren't you?" the guy was babbling in pure terror now. "The media's trying to cover it up, but I know the truth! They're monsters, aliens invading earth. One day we'll wake up and they'll have taken over!"

"That's not –" Tai tried to explain the situation, but he shouldn't have wasted his breath. The guy wasn't in any mood to listen.

"Shut up!" he screamed, blood rushing to his face. "They're nothing but freaks all of them!_ And you're a freak too for helping them!"_

A ball of flame came bursting out of Agumon's open jaws and hit the ground scant inches away from the guy's foot leaving a blackened scorch mark on the frozen ground.

It was a warning shot. Agumon had better aim than that, but the guy didn't know it.

He gave a cry of alarm and leapt backwards, his complexion white and blank with terror.

"Agumon, stop, you're not helping things!" Tai scolded him. He knew his partner had only attacked the other guy in his defense, but to everyone else, they wouldn't understand that. He wondered why Agumon had retaliated at such an intense level—he and Matt had gotten into tons of fistfights before in the Digital World and he had never once attacked _him._

Agumon hadn't taken his eyes off Tai's assailant. His teeth were bared and ready. "He made you bleed," he spoke in a low sand-papery rumble. "That's what humans do when they're hurt, don't they? They don't spill data—they _bleed__."_

Tai lifted a cautious hand to his nose, touched it gingerly then pulled his hand away to view the red liquid smeared onto his fingertips.

"I'll protect you, Tai. I won't let you get hurt anymore," Agumon promised somberly.

He was still feeling responsible for his injuries caused by DarkTyrannomon, still feeling the guilt and shame of not saving him sooner.

_I bled then too,_ Tai thought, remembering the taste of copper in his mouth before he had blacked out. Agumon must have seen it, must have connected the dots. It was no wonder he was being so aggressive and over-protective.

And Tai realized with an appalled and creeping horror that if worst came to worst, Agumon had absolutely no quarrels about crushing any potential threat to his partner's life be it Digimon or even human, the gravity of his fear of losing him was so great.

"_That's it!"_ came an enraged bellow shattering his grotesque musings as Mohawk staggered off the skating rink and began marching towards him, his gait stiff and bow-legged from the frigid temperature of the ice, his eyes glittering in ominous intent. "I was going to be nice and only knock out a few of your teeth, but now I think I'll break a few of your limbs off and use them as trophy pieces!"

Agumon seized up in his arms at the words, his green eyes narrowing into slits and Tai inwardly groaned at the guy's bad timing.

It was Mohawk's underling that saved him. "No, boss!" he shrieked, grabbing at his coat and tugging him back a ways—or at least, trying. His leader was more heavy-built than him so all he succeeded in doing was getting dragged along as Mohawk dude continued advancing. "Boss, you can't! He'll sic that lizard-beast on you and you'll be eaten alive!"

"Eh?" Mohawk halted in his tracks to take a good look at the creature in Tai's arms. "What is that?" he demanded, though he seemed more genuinely curious than afraid.

"It's one of those monsters they were showing on tv that keep appearing everywhere!" his subordinate exclaimed. "It almost killed me! Stay away, boss, it's dangerous!"

A collection of concerned murmurs erupted from the crowd of spectators that had gathered.

"Oi, someone better call animal control!"

"Maybe the police would be better…"

"Haven't you guys watched the news? Those creatures can grow to enormous sizes! I'm calling the Self-Defense Forces! We'll need a freaking _tank_ to take it out!"

Tai stood to his feet warily, never letting go of his grasp on Agumon. He didn't trust that his partner wouldn't launch himself at three young men who had started this whole mess in the first place. The small dinosaur had started the low snarling in his throat once again.

There was a wide perimeter of distance surrounding Tai from everyone else. The gazes they kept shooting at him were full of suspicion and fear. It was as if he had caught the plague. It was as if he were no longer human, as if _he_ were an alien too. He had never felt so utterly cut off and alone before…

The frozen ground crunched under white boots as Jun walked over to step up beside him and place a comforting hand on his arm. "Ignore them. They don't understand it's _their _prejudiced butts you're trying to save," she said, eyeing the crowd with aloof distain.

Tai choked down what either might have been laughter or a sob. "Sorry, but I think I'll have to cut our date short."

Jun smiled sadly but nodded. Then rubbing the back of her neck, she fidgeted, her face flaring a rosy-hue color. "Just so you know… I had a really good time."

A quick memory of sweet, chocolate-flavored lips, of a sugar-coated kiss flashed to the front of his mind. Tai found it a little hard to breathe for several seconds.

"Well, this… really isn't a time I should be asking, but…" Tai said, his eyes darting about to see people in the crowd dialing numbers on their cell phones with swift alacrity. He had better hurry and get away while he still had the chance before the SD Forces rolled in. "Would you like to do it again sometime?"

"Only if we get to beat up brainless morons when they deserve it again," Jun laughed. Putting one hand in her coat pocket, she pulled out a handkerchief. "Allow me?" she requested his permission.

Seeing as how he thought it unwise to let go of Agumon for even one moment, he gave a nod of his head.

Jun dabbed the cloth lightly over his nose, wiping away the trail of blood that had flowed out. "Honestly, I feel like I'm taking care of Davis all over again when he was little after he got bullied by some other kid in the park."

Tai wasn't sure how he felt about that comment. _Way to spoil the mood,_ he thought darkly.

"You make sure to take care of him for me when I'm not around," Jun said to Agumon as she tucked the now-soiled handkerchief away.

"You can count on me!" Agumon swore stoutly.

Okay, he really needed to leave before Jun fueled the flames any higher. She thought Agumon was only protecting him, which he was. She just hadn't realized the severity of much so. He needed to talk to Izzy about this new complication. He was fully prepared to apologize first if it meant finding a solution before it got out of control.

"Goodbye, I'll call you later," Tai said. He knew it wasn't a very romantic farewell by the way Jun crinkled her nose up at the reply, but he was distracted and worried—he could ask her forgiveness as well later. He turned only to find that the crowd of people had closed ranks tightly, eliminating any way out and were staring with scared yet determined expressions.

They were seriously going to try and stop him from leaving? Were they crazy? No doubt they had some idiotic notion in their heads that they were doing their " good civilian duty" and some grand delusion of being labeled a hero on tv at helping catch a "rogue monster".

Tai took a step backwards. He didn't think Agumon would attack them—they weren't physically trying to harm him, just thwarting his efforts to escape, but he wasn't sure how long that would hold up until one of them decided to act brave and do something stupid that set off Agumon's defense mode.

"Oh, it's _so_ delicious to watch how easily you little human insects turn on each other," a low sultry voice purred in amusement cutting through the thick and tense silence.

Heads turned in the direction of the voice and Tai's stomach took a sickening plummet at the sight of the figure standing in the middle of the skating rink clad in shiny black leather, ripped and stitched to form a torn yet tight-fitting suit with chains dangling from it; crimson red eyes, silver hair and ragged ebony wings: LadyDevimon.

"I guess you humans aren't as loyal as you like to believe. You're all nothing more than inferior little parasites running about consuming each other to survive. Thus, it is within my every right to exterminate you for Lord Daemon's new world!_ Hahahaha!"_ she cackled gleefully as she swung her red-tipped clawed hand out in a sweeping arc. _"Darkness Wave!"_

And Tai's line of vision was enveloped by a violently swirling purplish-black storm of sizzling, dark energy.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Nrrfgl, I know it's been about a month and half since last update. Ugh. I rewrote this chapter like I don't know how many times. So, AU is really showing its face here. Ken got kidnapped, we learn about Dark Spores, no, Daemon didn't attack the van when Oikawa was making copies. Well, since we never really learn _why_ Daemon wanted the Dark Spore in the first place, I felt as if the older kids could have some more spotlight fighting the Daemon Corps without it messing up the plot too much. It was so mean of 02 to push them in the background just when the fighting got good! XP

Since I'm sure people will have questions about Agumon's behavior: no, it's not the Virus's influence this time, the Virus really was destroyed. However, you might say there were some _side effects_ of the Virus being within Agumon's system for so long. Gaul, the theories you can spin with so much potential in the digi-verse!

Fun Facts: you may be wondering why Tai and Jun don't kiss a lot in public and why Tai was so jittery about doing so. It's a cultural thing in Japan: public displays of affection… well, they're not _bad_ per say, it's more like people feel that it's more polite not expose others to intimate actions such as holding hands or kissing or full-out necking. I mean, you _can _do it—it's not frowned on, but it's… just more polite to hold all that until you're somewhere private. Japan takes politeness into consideration very, very much. You know that girl Noriko, on Digimon, why she had on that what looked like a medical mask? People wear them when they have colds, even if it's just simple sneezing. The Japanese are so polite they don't want to give people even a sniffle. Makes me feel guilty when I go to Walmart to buy allergy medicine with my nose dripping openly. T_T

I hadn't thought this chapter would be so long. Good grief, I mean now I have to write an extra chapter because I couldn't fit it all in here, but I'm sure you all don't mind. Oh, and here's something that will make everyone extremely happy: next chapter… EVERYONE finds out about Tai and Jun, and no, it isn't because they find out they went on a date, muwahaha! XD

I listened to "This Kiss" by Faith Hill a lot while writing this chapter, hence the title, hehe. Also, "The Bird and the Worm" by Owl City and a ton of Avril including "Sk8er Boi" even though it always reminds me of Matt when I hear that song.^^

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	20. More Than Useless

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Sorry, folks, everyone does _not_ find out about Tai and Jun here. It's been moved back until next chapter.

**Ch. 19 More Than Useless**

_Tai's line of vision was enveloped by a violently swirling purplish-black storm of sizzling, dark energy._

It spread outward in a wide, sweeping arc taking on the appearance of countless bats screeching devilishly as they rode the wave of dark energy that had been aimed purposefully at the defenseless civilians who stood shocked and numb with fear at the horrifying spectacle they had become the unwitting stars of.

A heat-shimmer tore through the air as orange-red flames projected themselves over the coolness of the ice and collided with the storm of dark energy, scattering it into all directions except the path intended. A giant, orange and blue-striped T-Rex rose up from the ground, teeth bared, and roaring a furious challenge as he took a protective stance in front of the humans, shielding them with his huge bulk.

"Oh, how touching! Defending the ones who were so quick to persecute you before?" LadyDevimon laughed mockingly before her face twisted into a disgusted sneer. "I really… _HATE_ those who think themselves so noble!" she screamed launching herself at the one responsible from obstructing her from her prey, her left hand transforming into an elongated spike, which the sharp tip was dangerously pointed at the vulnerable spot of the dinosaur's under-belly.

Greymon's jaws gaped widely as he shot his head forward with an astounding agility, seized the Darkness Spear between his teeth and crunched down, snapping it in half. LadyDevimon shrieked more out of surprise than pain as her weapon dissolved into data and she flew wildly backwards clutching her left arm to her chest, her hand having returned to normal.

"So ill-manneredly!" she hissed, her two pairs of red eyes narrowing thinly as she quickly assessed her opponent. "A true gentlemon never retaliates on a lady's attack!"

"Call me an uncivilized beast then because I'm going to rip your head off and chew up your remains," Greymon growled returning the crude banter.

LadyDevimon laughed delightedly at that as if death threats were compliments she loved to receive on a daily basis. "Hahahahaha! Oh my! One of you goody-two shoes Chosen Children's partners has a dark side! How marvelous! Such a shame you're not going to be able to reach your full potential before I destroy you!"

"Wrong," Greymon snarled, a familiar blood-thirsty glint seeping into his eyes. "The one who will be destroyed… is YOU!" he cried lunging towards her in a thundering charge, stomping one large clawed foot after the other heavily upon the ground until he reached the skating rink, slipped on the sleek surface and went cascading head over heels across the long stretch of ice.

The only small fortune about this particularly bad stroke of luck was that LadyDevimon was too busy rolling about in mid-air laughing hysterically at such an un-cool spectacle to even bother attacking or paying attention to the rest of her audience.

Tai called out his partner's name anxiously, but his voice was lost by the frightened shouts of the people around him as they rushed past in an effort to escape the park's boundaries away from the "evil alien freaks". He was aware of his arm being insistently tugged on even through the crowd's mad jostling and turned to see Jun's hands grasped about it, her face riddled with worry and fear.

"Let's go," she said, her voice hitching slightly, her fingers trembling about his arm. "He'll be fine, right? You've beaten Digimon like this before!"

"But he's only a Champion right now and she's an Ultimate!" Tai protested, Jun's expression unwavering as she did not comprehend the meaning behind his words. "She's stronger than him! He won't last long against her attacks!" He struggled to throw off her hands, but Jun maintained a firm grip.

"So-so-so… _what?"_ Jun demanded, a desperate tone leaking into her voice. "I'm sorry I don't understand and only have stupid video games to go on, but isn't that what you guys did at the concert? Level up or something!"

"It… it's not that easy," Tai said, remembering the last time Greymon had tried to digivolve and couldn't.

_Because I was too weak. _

Or the time on Server where he had forced Greymon to digivolve.

_Because I was stupid and wanted power, _and _because I was too weak._

"_I cannot believe a heart would be wasted on someone like you," _BlackWarGreymon's words drifted back hauntingly.

"Thanks for laugh, Striped Rump," LadyDevimon commented, her insidious laughter finally subsiding. "Pity you aren't strong enough to back up your words with actions. I think I would have enjoyed our fight. _I'll just have to seek my pleasure elsewhere!"_ she shrieked, her eyes lighting upon the crowd of frantically fleeing people with a sadistic gleam.

"_Darkness Wa—_AUGH!" LadyDevimon let out a strangled curse as she was interrupted midway by the ball of fire that whizzed upwards knocking her arm aside and her attack off-course.

Greymon crouched on the ice, kneeling with all his weight resting on one knee to keep his balance, his sides swelling as a deep rumbling spilling from his open jaws signaling another powerful Nova Blast on the way.

"I'll give you points for sheer tenacity," LadyDevimon said, her irritated scowl morphing into a smirk. "Try and keep up with the pace, ne?"

Both Greymon and Tai's eyes widened in horrified shock as they realized her intentions a split second too late.

Three Darkness Waves, each fired directly after the other went spiraling viciously through the air like tidal waves merged into one enormous tsunami that threatened to come crashing down and drown its victims.

"GET DOWN!" was all Tai had time to yell in warning to the crowd—hoping fervently that they heard him over their screaming—before he was bowled over himself by a fierce tackle around the waist.

He hit the ground on his stomach, the air squeezed breathlessly from his lungs at the impact, felt all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as a mighty surge of energy sped overhead, saw the briefest glance a brilliant streak of purple, heard the shrill bat screeches and the flurry of wing-beats, all other sounds gradually fading until his ears were ringing with an eerie silence.

The first thing he noticed as his senses slowly returned was the odd pressure just above his middle. He turned his head to see Jun stretched out beside him, her face pressed into the shoulder of his coat and her arms encircling his waist tightly. Casting his eyes about, he took in the sight of people lying on the ground, their bodies huddled in a ball or hunched over with their hands covering their heads or curled protectively around a dear one.

They were all unmoving and frightened, but very much _alive._ The only damage LadyDevimon had done was to bar the exit-way from the park by felling several trees. Her attack had gone awry on purpose.

_She could have destroyed all of us… why didn't she?_ Tai wondered.

"She's toying with us!"

Tai glanced back sharply at Jun. She had lifted a stark-white face up from his shoulder to reveal a pinched, angry expression.

"This is nothing but a game to her! It's like when we dangle a shoelace in front of a kitten! She's getting her kicks off of it!" Jun cried furiously.

"_LadyDevimon seems to enjoy taunting her opponents more than fighting them..."_

Greymon roared ferociously, the muscles in both his hind legs bulging as he rose up on them, thickset as a sturdy oak tree, and blasted out several volleys of molten fury upward in a rapid succession that LadyDevimon dodged with nimble ease.

"It's useless, you overgrown reptile," she said her words punctuated thickly with boredom. "Unless you can sprout a pair of wings, the victor… _IS ME!"_ LadyDevimon crowed triumphantly as she sliced through the air like a strike of black lightning, her outstretched clawed hand connecting solidly to the dome of Greymon's horned helmet with a powerful force for one so lithe.

There was a horrible crack, as loud as thunder, as the T-Rex was slammed violently down onto the surface of the skating rink, shards of ice flying up in a spray of crystalline, jagged pieces at the heavy impact before falling down in a glittering shower to imbed themselves in the dinosaur's skin in a vicious, needle-like fashion.

The terrible, pained groan that emitted from Greymon branded itself inside Tai's head like a searing prod from a hot-iron poker.

"Greymon," he whispered, trying to stagger to his feet, but Jun was clinging to him now, her weight dragging him back down to his knees. "Let go," he said, attempting to pry her clasped fingers from around his waist and frowning when the girl refused to yield even an inch. "Let go!" he shouted in a panicked voice redoubling his efforts, no longer caring how rough he was. "I have to help Greym—!"

A pair of lips pressing themselves over his own made the words die in his throat. It was more forceful than the last three kisses they had shared with none of the sweet tenderness he remembered. This one was full of sadness, fear, and want and it seemed to last forever. Finally, Jun broke contact and pulled away, her brown eyes stinging with tears that she was obviously trying to hold back. The girl let her head drop into his chest, her shoulders quivering. "I'm sorry," she gasped, her voice high and thin with a carefully restrained fear. "I'm sorry—you can hate me if you want… but I won't let you go out there!"

She wasn't scared for herself, Tai realized abruptly. She was scared because he might get hurt, seriously injured, even killed.

But unless LadyDevimon was dealt with, they were all doomed anyway. He wasn't even sure he _could_ help Greymon at this point. If Greymon had been able to digivolve further, he should have already done so by now. It wasn't for lack of energy, Tai knew—he remembered seeing Agumon eating those steamed dumplings before. So it had to be him who was the problem, him who courage had completely deserted…

"To the victor… _go the spoils!"_ LadyDevimon cackled madly as she dove towards the humans she had helplessly corralled. "Which one of you insects should I play with first?"

A towering wall of fire—resembling very much the flames that DarkTyrannomon had ignited at Matt's concert—exploded in front of her, providing a raging barricade from her intended victims.

"This… fight… isn't over yet," Greymon growled as he slowly pushed himself upright, his entire frame shaking in exertion, but the smoldering glint of determination was still shining in his eyes.

Greymon wasn't giving up. Though he was out-matched in every way, he hadn't lost his resolve to win even when the situation looked hopeless.

Tai clenched his jaw, feeling chagrined. Perhaps, he couldn't help Greymon, but there were others who could. He dug in his pocket, pulled out his cell phone, turned it back on and punched in Izzy's number on speed dial.

It seemed like an eternity for him to answer, but in reality, it must have only been six rings before both parties were connected.

"Finally you pick up!" Tai and Izzy shouted in unison. "You have to come help—_what?"_

"What do you mean by that?" Tai asked, a foreboding feeling settling over him. In the background on Izzy's side, he could faintly hear the familiar sounds of screaming, battle cries, and oddly, what sounded like the roar of fast-moving water.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you since this morning!" Izzy's voice yelled into the receiver. "Everyone was going to trail one of the children Oikawa implanted Dark Spores in! But you hung up on me and then when I called your place, your mom said you had gone out, so we just went ahead without you!" There was a nearby _clang_ of metal and Izzy's muffled cursing. "I think he waited until we were all separated until he chose to attack! By the time anyone arrives, he's already worn down the other person's Digimon so they can't help! And his special ability is water-based so almost everyone's out of their element already!"

"What are you—" Tai started to say, because surely what he thought was happening couldn't be actually be as bad to happen simultaneously, right?

"MarineDevimon!" Izzy shouted, spitting the name out with startling vehemence. "We're all over here at Tokyo Bay fighting MarineDevimon _except you! _I know Greymon's forte isn't swimming in the ocean, but he could at least hold up one of the hospital buildings' structures and keep it from collapsing while the younger kids deal with the enemy! We're trying to get all the civilians evacuated, but some can't leave because they're on life support! Where the hell _are _you?"

"In…Ueno Park's skating rink being held captive by LadyDevimon," Tai was almost too ashamed to admit.

"_WHAT?"_ Izzy screeched into his ear.

"_You're trying my patience, you barbaric fossil!"_ LadyDevimon's voice shrieked above the roar of the fire wall, just as a wave of dark energy sliced through the flames wickedly, allowing her slender figure to slip through the thin opening. A dangerous smile broke out across her face as he saw to her satisfaction that her prey had not escaped while she had been temporarily detained.

"You little pests can thank Lava-Breath over there for spoiling my good mood. Now, I'm afraid I won't be nearly so merciful when you beg me to please let you die!"

"Look out!" Jun cried. Then Tai was being dragged to his feet, they were both running away—people were jumping up from their protective positions on the ground trying to make themselves harder to take out than a sitting target. Tai chanced a glance above—saw the Darkness Wave come plummeting down from the sky—saw that it wasn't off course this time—it was going to definitely hit…

The world flashed purple. The ground buckled beneath his and Jun's feet throwing them to their knees, and it was raining… raining pebbles, clumps of broken earth, particles of ice, _handbags and shoes_, and Tai had to shut his eyes after that because _he didn't want to see,_ and diabolical cackling filled the air overhead.

Eventually though he had to at crack open one eyelid, his vision still slightly tinged purple, saw his cell phone lying a few feet in front of him, Izzy's voice calling out his name frantically, reached one hand out towards it…

And the point of a long spike skewered straight through the device, electricity fizzling weakly around the tip before the cell phone finally died, cutting off Izzy's voice.

Tai looked up knowing at what he would find. LadyDevimon stood over him, her mouth stretched into a sinister smile.

"You…" she said regarding him carefully. "The one everyone wasn't letting pass. The one with the Agumon. Is Striped Rump your partner?"

There came a terrible, roaring and suddenly Greymon was charging towards them, red-eyed in rage, having dashed unheedingly through the center of his own Fire Wall and across the now mostly-melted skating rink, flinging back his head and yawning enormously, exposing rows of jagged teeth. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

LadyDevimon cocked a cruel, cold grin—then the ground was once more falling beneath Tai's feet as he was jerked up, the cool bite of metal digging into his flesh, and LadyDevimon was holding him with his back against her chest as she yanked harshly on the chain she had slipped around his neck like noose.

"Back off, Lava-Breath, unless you want his severed head as commemoration!" she snapped as she flexed red-tipped claws around his throat dangerously.

Greymon halted his mad charge, skidding slightly on the wet surface. His sides and shoulders were heaving furiously. "Hurt him and it will be the last thing you ever do," he snarled in warning.

LadyDevimon laughed mockingly. "Oh, I highly doubt that. I could take an old fossil like you out easily. But I've always wondered…" the sharp, little points of her red-tip fingernails tracing almost lovingly across the skin of Tai's neck. "What would happen to you Digimon if one of your precious partners didn't survive?"

Greymon went still and Tai cursed inwardly, gasping for air as the chain around his throat was tugged back sharply just short of suffocating. This was exactly the kind of situation he had not tried his best not get himself in ever since that Christmas Eve night. Yet here he was, dangling like some fish caught on a hook, all his struggles to get away feeble and useless and Agumon's worst nightmare about to come to pass.

"Would you just dissolve into data?" LadyDevimon continued to address the frozen Greymon as she tightened her grip on the chain, ruthlessly squeezing what little breath Tai had managed to draw in from his lungs. "Or would you finally become free of this pitiful human holding you back from your true potential? To achieve greater power? Wouldn't you like that more than wasting your time and energy protecting an inferior being like this?" Something sharp pricked at his neck, almost breaking the skin but not quite so. "Why don't we find out?"

Dazed, Tai looked up through the heavy curtain veiling his senses and saw LadyDevimon staring down at him, an insane smile gracing her features, felt the clawed hand around his throat shaking in excitement at the life it was going to steal in one second more. Reality was slipping away. It was difficult to think, difficult to care about anything other than succumbing to that comforting darkness that was waiting ever-so patiently just beyond the edge of consciousness…

"_YOU WITCH!" _a voice pierced through the veil, vibrant and clear and full of anger.

LadyDevimon screamed—like a thousand nails scratching across a chalkboard—and just as swiftly as he had been ensnared, Tai was let go. He staggered forward a couple of paces, seeing spots and gasping for breath, his hands scrabbling upwards to grasp at the chain that now hung loosely about his neck to bring it up over his head and fling it away as far as possible. Confused, he looked behind him to see what had caused his captor to release him so abruptly.

It was Jun.

Clutching the handle of a switchblade in her right hand.

Standing in front of a pile of long, sheared-off silvery-white locks.

"INSECT! _INSECT!" _LadyDevimon screamed, her face scrunching up in a terrible, blinding fury, the remains of her hair sticking out from underneath her stitched hood in sad, scraggly, cropped-ends. "HOW DARE YOU MAR THE BEAUTY OF ULTIMATE EVIL? YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FLEA! AN IRRITATING, INSIGNIFICANT FLEA! _DIIIIIIIIIIIIE!"_

She propelled herself through the air, her red-clawed hand angling in a vicious slant as she shot out her arm intending to strike straight through the girl's chest…

"_Static Force!"_

A sizzling white-hot ball of energy came shooting out of nowhere. LadyDevimon barely had time to switch tactics and deflect the attack with her Darkness Spear, and she was still blasted backwards a couple of feet.

Silphymon soared over the park's foliage and flew in a brown-and-white blur along the ground until he reached the barrier LadyDevimon had created. Wrapping his arms around one of the wide trunks, he tossed felled tree after felled tree aside as if they weighed nothing until a path had been cleared.

"What's wrong with you?" Aquilamon and Gatomon's combined voices floated out of the Digimon's mouth as the humans huddled together in small, clustered groups like frightened sheep and refused to step one toe closer to this new monster that had appeared. "Move your butts now!"

Only the all-too familiar sound of LadyDevimon's vengeful screaming as she recovered from the surprise attack spurred the people into motion. They ran past Silphymon as if being chased by a demon straight out of hell.

Which really wasn't too far off the mark as LadyDevimon rose up looking like a living nightmare from a gothic painting—an incensed valkyrie on the path to send her victims to the afterlife. Her ragged, holed wings were unfurled behind her vast and immovable like a ship's sail on calm before the storm. Her narrowed red eyes—both pairs—were glowing crimson.

"Enough games!" she spat, her gaze focusing on Silphymon. "I'll end your heroic delusions of grandeur right here!"

"_Bring it, bitch!" _Silphymon retorted, Gatomon's voice rising over Aquilamon's with greater intensity.

The two collided in mid-air as they flung themselves at each other not even bothering to invoke their special attacks and reverting to the old-fashion rough-and tumble way of fighting instead: with claw-scratching, kicking, biting and rude name-calling.

It was a Digimon version of a human cat-fight.

It still didn't top the one he had seen five years back with LadyDevimon and Angewomon though. _Bummer,_ Tai thought watching it, absent-mindedly rubbing at his sore neck.

"Are you okay?" Jun gasped, rushing over to him worriedly.

"Where'd choo gidda knife?" Tai wondered, finding it painful to talk, his voice sounding hoarse and gravely.

"Wha—oh," Jun said appearing to notice the weapon she held in her hand. She blinked at it for several seconds as if unsure how it had come to be there. "I must have picked it up… off the ground… from one of those peop—" the words died in her throat as she started to shake uncontrollably.

Tai wanted to comfort her—except that he found his body had begun to shake without stop as well. Was this what they called the after-effect of an adrenalin rush? Of surviving a near-death experience?

LadyDevimon shrieked in pain as Silphymon ducked her swiping claws and nailed her with a wicked right hook under the chin that sent her flying backwards.

"Time to finish this!" Silphymon shouted collecting a ball of energy in his hands. _"Static For—_hey, what are you doing?" he exclaimed startled as Greymon shouldered violently past him and into his attack-range.

"Outta my way!" Greymon roared, swinging his thick tail to shove Silphymon aside and running in a savage dash at LadyDevimon. "This is my fight! _Don't interfere!"_

"Grey-mon… s-stop!" Tai croaked out, but his throat felt raw and the words didn't carry far enough. Tai didn't think Greymon would have listened to him anyway at that point.

"I applaud your sheer stupidity, Striped Rump," LadyDevimon cackled, seizing the opportunity as the T-Rex placed himself between her and Silphymon in his mad charge, effectively creating a shield. _"Darkness Wave!"_

Tai could only watch helplessly. His limbs felt too weak to move. He had no more voice to scream. He couldn't believe it was going to end like this. That Greymon could be so blinded by rage that he would let it override his common sense. That even at this critical point, he couldn't dredge up one iota of the component needed to help Greymon digivolve.

_I… really am… useless,_ Tai thought numbly.

The Darkness Wave struck its target.

A humanoid beast man Digimon with tufted cat ears attached to his visor and feathered arms that had thrown himself into the attack's path at the last moment.

Silphymon hung poised in the air for a second… before exploding into a fine black powder—like the kind that lingered after fireworks fizzled out their brightness.

Greymon had stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide as the terrible reality of what had just occurred slowly sunk in.

Tai stood locked into place staring at the falling particles with a tight, pinched feeling in his chest. It was all his fault. Oh god, what was he going to tell Kari and Yolei?

LadyDevimon was laughing, basking in her victory and relishing the looks of devastation and anguish painted vividly across her remaining audience's faces.

"Far too easy," she clucked almost pityingly, curling her clawed hands in preparation. "Which one of you little worms is next? _Hahahahaha!"_

She was still laughing when the unexpected blue-white ball of energy was blasted through her chest.

"H-how?" she choked, her eyes twitching as she gazed down at the gaping hole that was rapidly starting to expand as her data was eaten away.

"Dual Sonic," Silphymon was generous enough to explain in his adversary's final moments as he appeared over her right shoulder. "You only took out my duplicate."

"From behind," LadyDevimon hissed in disbelief. "You got me from _behind._ What happened to that sense of honor and nobility you and your partners take such pride in?"

"Sometimes you gotta be bad to be good," Silphymon grinned cheekily, a purr evident in his tone. Gatomon was really enjoying this.

"Insect," LadyDevimon sneered defiant to the last. "Insects! All of you! Lord Daemon will avenge me! Wait and see! Your precious world and everything you hold dear will cease to exist!"

Her threats were cut off as she dissolved into a shower of data that scattered like black raindrops that evaporated into thin air.

Silphymon landed on the ground in front of Tai and Jun. "Are you alright?" he demanded.

Tai nodded finding it hard to speak, whether because of the clog of emotions swirling inside him or because of practically being strangled to death, he wasn't quite sure. He was just glad to see Silphymon in one piece and that he wouldn't have to explain to his sister and her friend how he had indirectly gotten their partners deleted due to his complete incompetence.

A pained moan came from somewhere in the close vicinity behind them. Jun whirled around with a startled gasp. "T-those people who got hit… they're still—I've gotta call 119!" she cried, hope seeping back into her eyes as she punched the emergency number into her cell phone.

Silphymon sprinted quickly over to where the sound was issuing from, searching for survivors from the few bodies that lay strewn across the ground, ready to give whatever assistance he could until professional aid arrived.

A flash of orange light caught Tai's attention from the corner of his eye. He turned to see that Greymon had de-digivolved back into Agumon. The small, orange dinosaur remained in the same spot, his expression quite flat as he stared blankly out into empty space.

"Agumon," Tai said quietly as he walked slowly over to him. "Agumon…"

"Why," Agumon spoke suddenly, his voice low and guttural. "Why are you holding back?"

"What?"

"You're afraid to let me fight," Agumon stated turning his head sharply towards him. "I try my best to protect you, but I always fall short because you don't believe in yourself anymore!"

There was a lump growing in Tai's throat now that had nothing to do with LadyDevimon's chokehold on him.

"That may be true," he reluctantly admitted. "But you take unnecessary risks. There's a difference between defending and attacking recklessly. What you did back there was retaliation for LadyDevimon humiliating you and Silphymon could have gotten destroyed because of your hurt pride!"

"If I had been able to digivolve, I could have defeated her easily! Whose fault is that?" Agumon cried. "Not mine! I tried, _I tried_, but you _blocked_ me!"

There was something in Agumon's words that Tai knew he should find odd, that he didn't quite understand, but a small crack had splintered down the wall he had carefully constructed around his emotions.

"Say your only aim is to protect me all you want, but don't you _ever_ use that excuse for attacking just to prove who's more powerful!" Tai ordered crisply. "Recklessness like that will get you destroyed!"

"She had you by the neck! She was going to kill you! And still I couldn't do _anything!"_ Agumon burst out, angry tears leaking from his eyes. "Was it recklessness or just desperation?"

Greymon must have been just as terrified, if not more, than he had been at the prospect of him dying. Tai reached out a hand towards him—and felt as if LadyDevimon's claws had pierced through his heart—as Agumon twisted away from his touch and dropped his gaze.

"You not only don't believe in yourself…" Agumon whispered, his small frame huddling inward miserably. "You've given up believing in _me."_

The universe collapsed around him. Tai felt a slow, creeping coldness carve its way inside him that was not the work of the wintry breeze that had picked up. He felt like he sinking into the icy, melted slush beneath his feet, into an oblivion of numbness, but he was too tired, too anguished to bother fighting against it anymore.

_Beep! Beep! _A car horn sounded nearby.

"Tai! Agumon! Up here!" a voice shouted.

Tai brought up his head, looking for the speaker with a blurred vision—saw his sister and Yolei waving frantically from the top of the observation deck of the skating rink. A yellow car that was parked behind them had to move forward out of sight to allow two ambulances, a fire truck and small brigade of police cars to pull in behind it.

"I'm the one who called them,' Jun said coming to step up beside him. "They're going to want to speak with me…"

"Hey, let's go before we run into them!" Silphymon ordered before reverting back into Gatomon and Hawkmon. A cat and bird would be less conspicuous at the moment to any human on the lookout for "aliens" or "monsters".

"Just call me to let me know what's going on and that you're okay," Jun requested, lifting one hand to cup his cheek gently. "You don't… you don't look too well…"

"Shake a tail, you two!" Gatomon called over her shoulder as she and Hawkmon fled out the ruined skating rink's exit and down the park's pathway.

"Later," Tai whispered hollowly because that's all he could get out right then. His thoughts were a swirling jumble of chaos, he had lost had sense of coherency, and he refused to let himself break down in front of her.

Agumon had already taken off after them, and even as fast as Tai ran, with his longer human legs and stride, he still couldn't seem to catch up.

But somehow, that didn't surprise him at all.

oOo

The car ride to Izzy's apartment took place in mostly silence. There had been a few tentative questions from Kari and Yolei to which Tai replied in clipped, cryptic answers that gave no more room for discussion. He sat up front in the same yellow car he had glimpsed before, the driver turning out to be Joe's brother, Jim. Agumon sat in the back seat between the two girls and their partners—Tai could see him in the car's rearview mirror—his face was downcast and sullen. Whether sad or angry, the small dinosaur didn't utter one syllable to anyone the entire journey, which took more time than it should have due to Tokyo's massive traffic congestion as well as detours for roadways being blocked off due to the sudden monster attacks.

By the time Jim dropped them off, a full hour had passed. The rest of the Digidestined had already regrouped there. They had sent a message via D-Terminal letting them know that Shakkoumon had finally dealt the finishing blow to MarineDevimon.

It didn't surprise Tai that it one of the younger kids' partners that had been proclaimed champion of that battle much either.

Kari pushed the door to the Izumi residence open to reveal the anxious faces of their friends that broke out into smiles of relief when they all entered looking only a little worse for wear.

Agumon pushed past him, strode by everyone and made a sharp turn into the living room. The sliding door to the balcony could be heard slamming open and shut a few seconds later.

His own partner couldn't even bear to be the same close proximity to him… that fact _hurt_ more than any physical injury Tai had ever received.

"What's up with Agumon?" Gabumon voiced out loud.

"Never mind that—why did LadyDevimon decide to attack the skating rink of all places?" Sora demanded shooting him a disapproving glance. Izzy must have told everyone. "Did you and Agumon draw attention to yourselves in any way?"

_Straight on the money,_ Tai thought walking past her not in any sort of mood to receive a lecture at that point.

Sora caught the sleeve of his coat as he passed by. "Wait," she said pulling on it. "At least have the decency to—" she gasped and let go abruptly. Tai didn't have to turn his head and look to know that everyone was staring in horror at his neck which had been exposed when the collar of his coat had ridden down lower due to the fabric being stretched.

He didn't provide an explanation and continued down the hallway until he reached the bathroom where he slipped inside. He stood behind the closed door for several seconds resting his back against it, listening to his friends' voices that were drifting faintly through the wood.

"What _happened?"_ Sora. She sounded distraught.

"I-I don't know." Kari. "We arrived too late to see… but I think Tai and Agumon had a fight."

"We _know_ they were in a fight—" Davis.

"No, with each other." Yolei. "I haven't heard them say one word to each other since we picked them up. They wouldn't even look each other in the eye."

"Maybe Jun can tell us." Gatomon. She was being such a helpful little kitty today.

"What?" More than person sounded surprised by that bit of information.

"Well, she was there at the skating rink with Tai and Agumon. Maybe she knows what's wrong."

"Do they think they met there on purpose?" Ken.

"_HELL NO!"_ Davis. Apoplectic.

"I guess we could… call her…" Kari sounded unsure.

And just before the briefest flashes of panic started to flutter in Tai's stomach…

"Don't do that." Izzy's voice stated very firmly.

"Why not?" Yolei. Sounding curious.

"Just _don't."_

Tai moved away from the door when the voices merged into a dull murmur as his friends started over-speaking each other. Unbuttoning his coat with sluggish fingers, he let it fall off his shoulders to the floor as he stood in front of the sink for a short while before working up the nerve to look in the mirror.

His face was smudged with dirt, most likely when he had been hurled to the ground so many times. The shadow of a mask was beginning to form under his eyes that looked sunken and glassy. His nose was already swollen red due to the cold and the fist that had knocked into it. But what made him pause and do a double-take were the mottled purple and blue bruises in a circular-shaped pattern that wove their way around his throat like an indecorous necklace. Tai ran one finger over the darkened skin in morbid fascination, hissing as pain flared up at even so light a touch.

There came a light tapping at the door. "Tai? Tai, it's Joe," the boy's voice drifted through sounding concerned. "I won't ask any questions, I promise. Just… just let me take at look at your neck, please."

"The door's unlocked," he mumbled.

The door swung open as Joe stepped in and shut it behind him. Cautious eyes roved over Tai before they seemed to steel themselves determinedly. Tai recognized the look that Joe had developed over the years. He had nicknamed it Obsessive Doctor Mode. There was absolutely no use arguing with Joe when he was like that.

So for the next ten minutes, Tai sat in silence on top of the toilet tank, his feet resting on the closed lid's seat obeying Joe like a mindless marionette: "tilt your head this way", "look up for a moment", "nod if you can feel where I touch", "tell me if this hurts."

More than once, Joe had glanced up at him closely in between rubbing a salve gingerly onto the affected areas and wrapping a gaze cloth about his bruised neck. The boy's mouth had opened and closed several times as if he had been about to speak and then thought better of it.

Tai was glad. He didn't want to explain. Because there was nothing left to explain other than what the bruises on his neck stood for: a badge of weakness branded into his skin for all to see.

Agumon was still out on the balcony when Tai left the bathroom a couple of minutes after Joe. He could see the small dinosaur's figure behind the glass doors, Gabumon beside him. The rest of the Digimon were sprawled on the floor of the living room resting or eating the food that they had been given after a hard day's battle. His friends were in the kitchen talking in hushed undertones that all but ceased when he appeared.

There was a pot of coffee perking on the stove top filling the air with a rich, nutty aroma. Tai walked over and poured himself a cup, gulping down the hot, black liquid without so much a word to anyone. The taste was unfamiliar and bitter… much like the dark, brooding feeling that was uncurling from the shadows of Tai's heart where he had hidden it away for so long.

There was an apprehensive silence that lasted several seconds before Davis voiced the question that was on everyone's minds. "Taichi-sempai… w-what happened?"

"What do you think happened?" Tai retorted coolly, his tone edged with a sharpness that surprised even him. "Agumon wasn't strong enough to fight his opponent—again." The coffee mug had started to shake in his hands. "I couldn't help him digivolve—again." Tai tightened his grip with such force that his knuckles turned white. "We were both completely useless—_again."_

His face wasn't turned directly towards them, but he could still see his friends' expressions out of his peripheral vision: their looks of concern and sympathy. God, they were _pitying_ him! The dark feeling inside him swelled up—like a small thundercloud that threatened to explode into a violent typhoon— as his blood began to boil at the thought.

"Tai," his sister started to say in her best consoling voice. "Tai, it will be alright. You'll see—" She took one step towards him, her hand stretched out in a comforting gesture.

That was all it took for the typhoon to break loose and unleash the volatile emotions Tai had long kept locked away.

"_Who exactly are you trying to fool?" _he exclaimed abruptly, slamming his mug down on the countertop viciously enough that it splashed coffee everywhere including the back of his hands. Red marks appeared as the hot liquid burned his skin, but Tai took no notice. The rage that had overtaken his senses burned fiercer.

Kari had stopped in her tracks looking shocked at his outburst along with everyone else. Tai never yelled at her—hadn't for as long as she could remember.

"It's over! We already completed our destiny five years ago just like we were supposed to do!" Tai yelled, words he hardly knew what he was saying spilling free from his throat. "We have no further value or purpose anymore! We're just an unneeded hindrance!"

"T-that's not true," Kari protested feebly. "W-w-we…"

Twisted, sardonic laughter flowed out of Tai's mouth. "Oh, of course not," he said mock-apologetically, his lips curling into a leer. "I didn't mean _you._ Not you or the rest of your teammates," he said running a swift eye over Davis, Ken, Yolei, T.K., and Cody who were all staring at him with something akin to disturbed uneasiness. "Just us older kids, the eyesores of the Digital Sovereigns."

There. He had finally said it: what had been eating away inside him ever since that day five years ago when they had given up their Crests. It lay exposed in the open now, bare and ugly.

Joe, ever the responsible one, took his turn at trying to reason with him. "Tai—"

Tai didn't give him the chance to expound. "Don't act like it hasn't crossed your minds. All of you!" he declared with a blunt vehemence, pointing an accusing finger in his friends' direction. "I know better."

He could see the embarrassed, ashamed blushes breaking out across Sora and Mimi's faces; the frown-line on Matt's forehead; the way Joe's eyes had disappeared behind the glint of his glasses and his mouth having set into a firm line; Izzy's slightly tilted head as he dropped an unfocused gaze to the floor.

"Face the facts: we've been replaced. The digivices have evolved. The digivolution process has evolved. We're nothing more than outdated hanger-ons who refuse to let go of the past!"

Kari backed away seeming frightened by his ferocity in his words, at his face twisted in an anguished fury.

"Taichi-sempai, what are you saying? We're a team, remember? All of us!" Davis cried stepping in front of her and holding his hands out in a placating manner. "We can't win unless we're all togeth—"

"Do you really think you're worthy of that Crest you stole from me?"

The words hung heavy and crushing in the air with no chance of taking them back. Davis reeled backwards as if someone had scored a solid punch to his gut, his eyes wide and his face drained of color.

Dimly, somewhere through the burning rage that had swept over him, Tai knew that it wasn't quite true. That it had been a Digimental, not a Crest that had been bequeathed to Davis, but that didn't matter. It was _his _symbol, it was _his _place the boy had taken, _replaced_ him. Tai knew he should have felt remorse at not keeping a firmer clasp on his tongue. That some resentments should remain a secret forever. However, it was too late. Davis stood frozen in place looking stunned beyond any coherency as a collective gasp of disbelief was exhaled by the rest of the Digidestined.

A depraved thrill raced through Tai at the sight sweeping away any traces of guilt that were beginning to blossom. Why had he repressed his emotions on this matter for so long anyway? Why had he bothered to put on a charade and act like he was happy when he had been feeling so dejected and miserable? He just wanted to hurt someone until they felt just as bad and angry as he did right now.

"You've got_ nothing_ on me," Tai proclaimed coldly, his narrowed gaze drilling into Davis' own horrified one. "You think you know the Digital World pretty well now? You haven't been through_ half_ the experiences that I—we _all,"_ Tai indicated the older Digidestined with a wide sweep of his hand, "have shared! With you it's nothing but school, save the day, go home, save the night, hang out, go to sleep, rewind! You wouldn't have lasted one day in the Digital World we were thrown into! But we survived! And we did it without any information on where we were or what we were doing there for the longest time! So what makes you so special?" Tai spat, advancing furiously to where Davis was rooted to the spot and grabbing a fistful of his shirt. "What is it about you that made the Digital Sovereigns decide we weren't good enough to save the world a second time? Or maybe…" Tai's mouth curved into a grin as a thought occurred to him. He pressed his face closer to the boy and whispered chillingly, "Maybe we were becoming just too darn hard to manipulate and they needed to find easier pawns. What do you think… Davis?"

"Let him go!"

Tai turned his head to see who had spoken.

It was Ken. Guilt and anger plastered clearly across his face. "We're not… _we're not pawns!"_ Ken shouted, his violet eyes flashing wildly.

"That's enough, Tai!"

A hand closed down upon his wrist and jerked away his hold on Davis' shirt. Tai scoffed contemptuously as he saw it was Matt who held him a clamp-like grip.

"Not on my side, Matt? I thought you'd be at least. He stole your symbol too—"

The muscles in Matt's right arm bulged slightly as he clenched his hand into a tight fist and drew it back in preparation…

"Going to knock some sense into me, Matt?" Tai said cocking a half-smile. "I would advise against that. Agumon would prob-bably c-chew your a-arm off, _hahahaha!"_

Then he was laughing, laughing because suddenly everything was so incredibly _funny. _The argument between him and Agumon was still fresh in his memory and it still seared something painful, and here he was causing strife among his friends, the very people he should be turning to for help instead. So he laughed—each mad, demented cackle that bubbled out of his mouth most likely eradicating whatever vestiges of respect anyone had left for him—laughed until his throat was hoarse and his lungs breathless and everyone was staring at him as if he were a freak show that escaped from the circus; laughed until something spilled down his cheeks in thin, zig-zagging rivers shocking him to the core at its warmth because he hadn't noticed before how horribly _cold _he had felt…

"Damn it!" Tai cursed lifting a shaking hand to run across his face in one smooth motion. It managed to wipe away the wetness that was already present, but failed to stop more moisture overflowing from his eyes. He staggered backwards hurriedly away from everyone, bumping into the kitchen table and toppling a chair over to the floor. A sob worked its way out of his throat despite his best efforts to contain it. "D-damn it!" he swore again, tripping slightly over his own feet and clutching the edges of the table to keep his balance.

Tears that wouldn't stop continued to pour down in a steady stream down his face and the only thing Tai could do to hide them was to turn his head away from everyone's wide-eyed stares. The violent maelstrom of anger inside him had all but dissolved. There was nothing left but a sick, nauseating feeling of a knot twisted in his stomach, the shivers that shook his shoulders, and his throat constricting tightly. Nothing left to feel except the blood rushing madly to his face in humiliation at being caught looking so pathetically weak.

"_Would you finally become free of this pitiful human holding you back from your true potential? To achieve greater power?"_ LadyDevimon's voice floated mockingly back inside his head. _"Wouldn't you like that more than wasting your time and energy protecting an inferior being like this?"_

Nothing left to feel except an appalled, disgusted shame at himself for lashing out his own frustrations at those who were not to blame.

The room was quiet, the air still, the only sound was the badly-stifled gasps that slipped free from Tai's mouth. The silence seemed to stretch forever. No one moved, no one spoke. Tai didn't blame them. He had made a complete ass of himself and insulted the bonds of friendship that wove them all together so intricately. He wouldn't be surprised if none of them spoke to him ever again.

But someone did speak.

"Taichi… sempai…"

There was a soft, hesitant touch on his jacket.

And Tai struck out his arm and slapped away the hand offering him forgiveness because he did not want it, did not deserve it, and no one, _no one_ should see him in such a broken state like he was now.

"Go… _away,"_ he managed to rasp out, his voice splitting down the middle. "Leave me alone."

He didn't know how long he stood there, his backed turned to everyone, gripping the corner of the table with trembling, white fingers and staring at the surface in front of him which had several small, circular blotches that were staining the wood a darker color brown.

In the background faintly, he thought he might have heard the murmur of voices, a general stomp of feet and the apartment door close, but it was hard to make out past the beating of his heart that was resounding deafeningly in his ears. Suddenly, he wasn't just shivering from spent nerves, and the heat rising behind his eyes and making his head throb and feel leaden wasn't just from anger. He barely had time to wonder why everything was fuzzy, why the room was spinning, before all the energy in his fingers seemed to evaporate and his hold on the table was ripped away, and he was falling sideways…

Arms came to catch a hold of his shoulders and help him stay upright.

"Joe says you have a slight fever," Izzy's voice came as if at the end of a long tunnel. "Though I'm afraid that's still no excuse for your behavior a few minutes ago."

The next thing he knew he was lying in a bed with no recollection of whatsoever of how he had gotten there and Izzy was pressing a cold compress to his forehead, muttering under his breath something about "people repressing their emotions until they crack spectacularly… not healthy".

"Davis must hate me," Tai whispered bleakly, clutching the covers with a quivering hand.

"He doesn't hate you," Izzy sighed. "He practically worships the ground you walk on."

"Not after what I said." Tai flung one arm over his face to prevent Izzy from seeing the water welling up in his eyes. He had cried in front of everyone enough for one day. He bit down on his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. "And I can't even blame a stupid Virus for it."

"Humans have Viruses of their own," Izzy stated quietly. "Selfishness, jealousy, fear—I'd say those are three very dangerous ones—the kind that causes the most harm."

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** So, this chapter marks No Girls Allowed one-year anniversary!^^ Woo-hoo! That's got to be a new record for me. I never have stayed with a fic for more than a year. Most of my chapter fics are incomplete or I finish them within a month or two. (But then they're never this long). So this feels awesome! I didn't make the deadline that I set for myself, but then this chapter is overly long (twice the length as usual) so I hope that makes up for the lateness you all had to suffer.

Wow, usually I try and put some light humor in scenes to lighten the mood, however reading back on what I have written… _so angsty! _Holy—just wow. I'll have you all know I got so depressed writing out Tai's emotions, I had to take a break many a time and go watch some crack. My remedy for curing my sadness? Ouran Host Club. Oh yeah—that anime can put a smile on anyone's face on the darkest day^^ It actually wasn't that hard finding source material to spur my angst muse on. All the anime I'm watching right now be it new or old is like _smothered_ in it. I have to dig deep through my memories to find some fluffy humorous shows.

Ahem, anyway, did you like the fight with LadyDevimon? Did I write the actions scenes believingly enough? More importantly, were they enjoyable? (I'll admit I had a ball writing LadyDevimon. I like writing characters with a personality like hers). I'm still trying to flesh out how I write action. I'm better dealing with the emotional side of things. Poor Tai. Don't be too mad at him, Davis-lovers. He's had a very rough day and he's already feeling guilty enough as it is. Don't worry—if all goes according to the Great Muse's Plan, Tai should redeem himself in the next chapter. But then with me, you never know. It might take two more chapters… but it shouldn't.

As for Tai and Jun's relationship being found out, I had an author's note at the top, but I'm sure some people didn't see it, being so eager to read the new chapter, so like I said up there, I apologize. The chapter was too long to fit it in. But really, just how dense is everyone when they found out Jun and Tai were at the park together and _still_ didn't connect the dots? They're in denial. Deep, deep denial, lol. I have the scene all played out in my head and it shall be of epic proportion and will most definitely be worth the wait, I promise! And it should be in the next chapter. I just have this bad habit of lengthening scenes and then I can't fit everything I want in.

Fun Facts: I didn't write out Silphymon and LadyDevimon's name-calling as much as I wanted to, because the only ones that came to mind were the ones in the song "U.G.L.Y". XD You want to hear them go at it, just listen to that song, hahaha! And of course, the title of this chapter gives homage to Reliant K's "More Than Useless", which is pretty much what Tai is feeling at the moment.

P.S. I've noticed people have been sorely missing Tai's Haiku Corner. Kekeke, you'll get a plethora of haikus soon to make up for lost time!

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	21. Be My Escape

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below chapter. Also, sorry, the revelation about Tai and Jun's relationship gets shoved back yet another chapter!^^;; And a bit of heads up: you may feel like punching your computer screen several times reading the beginning and middle of this chapter, but you'll like the ending, I'm sure. (Don't worry, I've given Tai few mental slaps of my own in the duration of writing this).

**Ch. 20 Be My Escape**

The hours seemed to pass ever so slowly. Evening had fallen, but Tai still couldn't sleep despite Izzy's urgings before he had slipped out of the room. The most Tai had managed to snatch was few fitful, feverish dozes every half hour. It was during one of these when he was jerked awake by the bedroom door opening.

"Hey," Izzy greeted as he closed it behind him and walked over to the bed, one hand holding a tray with a steaming bowl of soup. "I told my mom you were spending a couple of days over here so we could work on a Literature project together but you weren't feeling too well today. So she made you some miso soup," the tray was deposited on the covers on top of Tai's lap. "Then I went over to your place and got the correct textbooks and materials," Izzy un-slung an over-flowing backpack from his shoulder and dropped it at the foot of his desk, "and told your mom the same story, except for, you know, being sick and all, because I didn't want her to worry plus, I don't think any of her food she would send over would actually help—ah, no offense!"

"Thanks, Izzy," Tai said quietly, fingering the spoon on the tray, but not picking it up. He had no appetite.

A knock rapped gently on the doorframe. "Izzy," Mrs. Izumi spoke softly so as not to disturb her son's friend. "Phone call."

"Eat it," Izzy ordered, gesturing to the soup. "Starving yourself isn't going to change past mistakes, and you're hungry whether you feel like it or not."

The boy slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him, but leaving a small crack slightly ajar, unintentionally letting Tai hear a one-way conversation.

"He's fine, don't worry… well, when I say 'fine', I meant as fine as someone can be considering the circumstances… no, I'm sorry, you can't now, he's asleep… right, I'll let you know when he wakes up… bye."

"I'm asleep?" Tai echoed confused when Izzy re-entered. He was sure he had woken up though. Was this a dream then? One of those lucid dreams when you're aware that you're dreaming and simply watching what unfolds?

"Oh," Izzy seemed startled that he had overhead. "No, I just thought you wouldn't feel like talking to anyone right now, that's all."

Well, that much was true. Sure, he was sorry for the way he had acted earlier, but that didn't mean he felt like spouting out apologies of what a giant jerk he had been any time soon.

"Who was it?" Tai asked dropping the spoon into the soup with a dull clatter and listlessly swirling it around.

"Nobody," Izzy said, brushing the matter aside and taking a seat in front of his desk. "Nobody," he said again, taking out a textbook and flipping through the pages in a brisk fashion. "Just Matt."

Maybe the old wives tale of a fever making you see things with greater clarity was true, for suddenly, something Tai had never noticed before clicked into place.

"Hey, Izzy," Tai said quietly staring down at the bowl of steaming broth. "You know you're my best friend too, right?"

The fast-paced page-flipping had stopped. There was silence for several seconds. Tai looked up to see Izzy sitting stiffly in his chair, his back and shoulders rigid. "No," his voice came finally in an odd, subdued manner. "No, I didn't actually."

He spun around to stare at him placidly. "What happened at the park?" he asked flatly.

Tai related the events as best as he could not bothering to mask the parts where his voice cracked in retelling. Izzy had seen him at his worst before in the Digital World before when he had cracked under the pressure of Kari being sick and years of guilt breaking through to the surface. He didn't have to put on a show of bravado for his sake.

"I see," Izzy said after everything was explained. "LadyDevimon mentioned a Digimon called Daemon, huh? Well, that's more than we got out of MarineDevimon. All the big cephalopod would do was the same evil roaring and laughter most cliché villains form a habit of. At least we now know there's another adversary out there who has yet to make an appearance, so we won't be completely caught off guard next time."

A small flicker of indignation rose within Tai at those words. "Is that all you can think about?" he demanded. "Agumon can't digivolve because of me and you don't even care to figure out _why?"_

"Oh, so you _haven't_ completely given up on yourself then?" Izzy stated rather satisfactorily.

Tai flushed at the trap he had fallen into.

"I think perhaps you already have a good idea of what's stopping Agumon from digivolving," Izzy said shrewdly.

"Agumon said I was afraid," Tai breathed, finding the memory painful. "That I was afraid to let him fight. He said he tried, but I 'blocked' him. Is that even possible?"

"You don't realize you've done that before?"

"What?" Tai was startled. What on earth was Izzy talking about? He hadn't…

"On Spiral Mountain, the first time we encountered LadyDevimon," Izzy reminded him. "Agumon wanted to fight her and finish her off quickly, but you held him back and told him to save his energy for Piedmon."

"But he could have digivolved anyway if he wanted to, couldn't he?" Tai asked confused. "Even if it was going against my wishes right?"

A dim, distant memory was rising in his mind.

"_It's my turn!"_

"_No, wait, we'll keep you in reserve!"_

_A small, orange dinosaur pleading with him._

"_Let me warp-digivolve and I can take care of this black and white nightmare!"_

"I had thought so too before you told me all this," Izzy said. "Remember we Digidestined harness the true power to make our partners digivolve. The digivices are only a tool that assists us. If have the ability to help them digivolve, I don't see why we couldn't also make the process work backwards and stop them."

"But it can't be true," Tai murmured refusing to believe this theory. Somehow, it seemed so _unfair _to Agumon. And if it was true, then it only made LadyDevimon's proposal valid.

"_Would you finally become free of this pitiful human holding you back from your true potential? To achieve greater power?"_

"It isn't true!" Tai cried, his mind latching onto another memory desperately in hopes of disproving Izzy. "What about when Sora's Crest still hadn't glowed yet and Myotismon attacked us? She didn't want Biyomon to get hurt, but Biyomon still digivolved anyway."

"Precisely," Izzy nodded one step ahead of him. "She didn't want Biyomon to get _hurt. _It's not that she wanted Biyomon to_ not_ digivolve—she just didn't want to see her partner suffer. So Biyomon fulfilled her wish in a different way: she digivolved so she would become stronger and was able to hold her ground against the enemy. I'm sorry, Tai, but the facts are irrefutable: the Digimon respond to our innermost desires… even if our desires aren't exactly the best ones."

SkullGreymon flashed across the front of Tai's mind with all-too disturbing clarity.

He fell back against his pillows with a shudder. His temples were beginning to ache again and his head felt burning hot.

"I suppose I'm not exactly helping you calm down any, am I?" Izzy chuckled weakly. "It seems there still is a lot to uncover about the bond we share with our partners. Yours and Agumon's is so strong, that you two are the ones that encounters these new anomalies first. Count yourself lucky."

"_Lucky?"_ Tai echoed incredulously. His own partner was too disgusted to even be in the same room with him and he was supposed to feel _lucky?_

"Okay, that was a poor choice of words on my part," Izzy said making a face. "Look, you should just never forget that no matter how bad the situation appears or becomes, Agumon will always stand by you."

"Yeah?" Tai said disbelievingly. "Then where is he now?"

Izzy was quiet for several moments.

"Well?" Tai demanded, half-knowing the answer that was to come, dreading to hear it spoken, yet yearning too all the same because it would finally mark the solution to something that was inevitable in the long run anyway.

"He was still out on the balcony when I left," Izzy admitted reluctantly. "When I got back, Tentomon said he had gone out. He didn't know where to, but it's been a couple of hours now."

Tai said nothing, just simply lay there and stared up at the ceiling, a welter of emotions rushing over him. Betrayal that Agumon had left him, worry over not knowing where he was or how he was doing, chagrin at himself for being the cause of his partner's abrupt departure, grief for letting him down, but mostly, a cool sweep of relief.

"Maybe it's better this way," he whispered. "Maybe he'll be so disgusted at having me for a partner, it won't hurt as much as it should when I finally die."

"I can't believe you just said that," Izzy said quietly, a hint of anger barely audible on the edge of his voice. "The Tai I knew five years ago—"

"The Tai you knew five years ago was just stupid kid who knew nothing about how the real world works!" Tai shot back, anger of his own swelling up. "Courage is all well and fine when you're a hero in another universe, when the only thing you have to have to worry about is defeating the next bad guy who comes along and make sure your team is all powered up! It's a completely different matter here!"

Here where there was no definite black and white between good and evil. Here where things existed in an uncertain shade of grey. Where fairy-tales and dreams were easily broken by harsh reality. Where human mortality was fragile and fleeting.

"I wish the gateway hadn't re-opened," Tai said suddenly. "I wish Agumon didn't have to see how weak I've become. I wish he could have remembered me the way I was the last time we saw each other."

"I wish you could remember a little more of what drove you to act like you did back then and apply it to yourself today," Izzy couldn't resist saying.

"Go away," Tai snapped incredibly irritated. He wanted to be alone.

"This is _my_ room," Izzy informed him dryly.

"Then don't talk to me right now!" Tai proclaimed, setting his food tray aside on the night stand and turning on his side to face the wall.

"A wise man once said you can't really exhibit courage unless you feel fear," Izzy pressed relentlessly. "But that can't be your problem, can it? Unless you've stopped caring altogether even to be afraid."

Tai tried to banish the words from his mind, but they remained flickering there at the forefront like a candle that refused to burn out.

"Was it Plato?" Tai finally caved into asking.

"Maybe."

"Drop dead."

oOo

When Tai opened his eyes again, the room was dark indicating that was it still nighttime. The glowing red numbers of the digital clock on the nightstand read 2:45 am. The soft, blue glow of the computer screen and the _clackity-clackity _sounds of fingers across the keyboard filled the air as the culprits that drove him awake.

"Izzy?" Tai mumbled lifting his head slightly. It felt as heavy as an overripe watermelon. "It's past midnight. What are you doing?"

"Your homework, what else?" Izzy declared. "You aren't in any shape to go to school tomorrow, but your assignments are still going to be due. Don't worry, I've gotten enough answers wrong on purpose and typed out essay mediocre enough that I should be able to pass it all off as your handiwork. That's the beauty of a computer. No one can tell who you are by your chicken-scratch penmanship when it's all printed out."

Tai was too tired to feel insulted by all that. "Thanks, Izzy."

Izzy gave a long, despairing sigh. "There's some aspirin and a glass of water on the nightstand. I suggest you take some."

Tai did so and simply there lay there for a moment before voicing the question that was nagging persistently at his mind. "Has Agumon come back?"

The slight slumping of Izzy's shoulders gave him the answer without any words.

"Do you think our Digimon will be able to find new partners after we die? Or are they able to choose someone else if we handicap them?" Tai inquired with grim curiosity.

"I swear to Gennai I will hurl this monitor at your head if you don't shut up," Izzy bit out sharply. "Wherever Agumon is, he left for a good reason and it certainly isn't because he has abandoned you. So trust him and let your body get some rest!"

"You know you're awful bossy," Tai murmured drowsily, feeling soothed by his friend's steadfast conviction.

"Someone has to be with a hard-head like you," Izzy retorted. "Hey," he said more gently in a coaxing-like manner as if speaking to a beaten, whipped dog. "I hope you realize that being brave… doesn't necessarily mean you have to be _strong."_

"No, but it sure as hell helps," Tai snorted.

Well, he didn't get a computer monitor thrown at his head, but the speaker hitting his shoulder blade was definitely going to leave a bruise.

His last thought before drifting off into a true sleep was that he had been wrong in assuming that Izzy wasn't into physical violence and that he should really get some anger management classes.

oOo

When Tai woke up it was mid-morning and sunlight was streaming through the window in abundant brightess. His head felt much clearer than it had last night, however the heat of his fever still clung to him in stubborn persistence. It couldn't have been very high though, for he was able to sit upright and swing his legs over the edge of the bed without much trouble. The room tilted precariously before his eyes for a few seconds before straightening itself again. Izzy was nowhere in sight—most likely, he had already left for school.

His D-Terminal was resting on the nightstand on top of a wrapped bento and flipped open with one message waiting to be read:

**I told Mom not to disturb you. Here's an extra bento she made yesterday so you won't be hungry. Agumon still hasn't returned yet. Don't go running off to look for him. The younger kids' Digimon are already on it. Just stay there and relax for one day. The computer is off limits. Don't even think of playing games or surfing the web—it's password protected. Catch up on your studies instead. Final exams are coming up. **

**TL;DR?**

**Lemme put this in a language you understand:**

**Haiku God stay put**  
**Touch PC and you are dead**  
**Read about Plato**

**-Izzy**

Tai half-smiled at the message. The muscles around his face felt strange when he did as if they had almost forgotten how to smile.

Tch, but what an amateur! He was tons better at haikus than Izzy, ha!

His humor only lasted for a moment. The events of yesterday weighed heavily upon his mind like a load of bricks. He had basically taken five years of friendship, spit on it, ripped it up into a million pieces and flung into his friends' faces. All because of what? Because he and Agumon could no longer contribute to the fight? Because jealousy of the younger team he hadn't even known existed had reared its ugly head? Because he had been afraid? Afraid of Agumon being deleted? Afraid that he was becoming just as ordinary as someone who hadn't been chosen as a Digidestined?

Hell, he didn't even know himself.

It had been a jigsaw of disaster coming together all at once way too fast, and he had been vulnerable enough for everything to overwhelm him.

So for the rest of the day, Tai did his best to distract himself from thinking too much about it. He hacked into Izzy's computer in under a minute—it really wasn't that difficult (semi-conductor? Please, did Izzy honestly think he wouldn't guess that?)—and spent the remainder of the morning idly browsing the net until the light emitting from the screen sparked off another dazzling headache.

One more aspirin and a cat-nap later, a glance at the clock read 1:33 pm. He a few hours until school let out. He scanned the room for something to kill time with until Izzy got back with an update hopefully. His eyes fell upon the neatly-arranged stack of Plato's books on top of the desk.

No, he wouldn't. It went completely against his morals. He wasn't _that _desperate.

_Six chapters and two hours later…_

Okay, apparently he was.

It was fine though. He was just passing the time. It wasn't like he was going to use all these rhetoric skills later in life and become a politician or some other nonsense, yeah right.

He totally ignored the fact that he had dismissed Izzy's game consoles gleaming temptingly at him off to one side without a second thought.

He was still at it when Izzy finally returned home… with a surprise guest along tow.

Well, uninvited guest would more the correct the phrase.

"You can't just barge in here—that's breaking and entering!" Izzy's frazzled squawking floated through as the door to the bedroom burst open by the very person he had been trying keep out.

"Out, nerd-boy," Jun ordered, giving him a firm shove in the chest backwards, her narrowed eyes never leaving Tai's. "Me and Mr. Foolish Hero Complex need to have a little chat."

Izzy had time to voice one last indignant command before Jun slammed the door in his face: _"Don't you two dare do anything ostentatious on _my_ bed in there, dammit!"_

Tai dropped his gaze as Jun approached. He hadn't informed her of his whereabouts like she had asked. She was bound to find out one way or the other attending the same school as his friends. Most likely, she had harassed them all day until she discovered it was Izzy he was staying with then stalked the poor boy home. She probably also knew about his verbal abuse on her little brother yesterday, who as much as she denied or just didn't admit she cared for him, _did._ He felt the mattress dip slightly as Jun sat down beside him. Bracing himself, he waited for the inevitable outburst that was sure to come.

It never did.

"Isn't this the part where you're supposed to hit me over the head with some proverbial hammer and make me see reason again?" Tai couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice as he asked her.

"Well, I'm sure if you've already spun out countless long lectures of me and your other friends doing so, there's no need for me to give repeat performance. Whatever I have prepared is certainly not up to par with your imagination," Jun replied sounding strangely amused. She nudged her elbow into his shoulder in a playful manner that told him she wasn't the least bit mad or appalled by him.

"I'm a horrible person... how can you still like me?" Tai whispered hollowly.

Jun emitted a heavy sigh. "Look, if this is about your breakdown yesterday—yes, I know about that, and it's not 'cause Davis squealed 'wolf' on you. He didn't even come home; he spent the night at that Ichijouji kid's place. Matt told me—and I think you're over-reacting about it."

Tai lifted his head, a crinkle-line creasing his forehead. "What… Matt?"

"Yes, Matt," Jun nodded repeating. "Mr. Heartthrob Rock Star Ishida personally came over to _my,_ his former ex-stalker's apartment last night to find out what happened yesterday at the skating rink."

Tai didn't know what to feel at that moment. Matt was scared to death of Jun, still was, even though he had turned her down, even though she had given up on him. That he actually had gone over to her place last night—hadn't even waited until the next morning at school to ask her…

"He was really worried about you, you know," Jun said placing her hand over his hand. "I bet all your friends are. Are you going to let a little bit of doubt and a temper tantrum stand in the way of that?"

Tai slid his hand away from hers and balled it up into a fist. "You don't understand," he bit out.

"I understand a lot more than you think," Jun replied tartly. "The thing with you Digidestined is you think you have to be perfect. The rest of the world already knows that's impossible. We're ugly, we're selfish, we're cruel, and we're all afraid. Afraid to die, afraid to live, afraid of not being good enough. The thing that makes us different from you is that we can admit this. Everyone has faults; everyone has flaws, dark secrets, and resentments. Good grief, you Digidestined may have been specifically chosen by god-like beings, but you all are still as human as the rest of us! People make mistakes, we hurt others, and we hurt _ourselves _too. The big question is when we come to this point in our lives, what at are you going to do about it? Are you going to just stay in this room wallowing in misery and or are you going get out and set things right?"

A wave of irritation rolled over him. Suddenly Jun's very presence, her closeness at the moment with no respect for personal boundaries annoyed him. He wanted her to leave.

"Are you done?" he asked sharply.

Hurt flashed briefly across her face before a cool mask snapped down in its place. "Yes, I'm done," she said smoothly getting up and walking to the door. "Oh, one more thing," Jun said pausing with one hand on the handle. "Here's a question for you. Do you know what makes the difference between a hero and coward?" There was no malice in her tone, contempt or disappointment even. She was merely making a neutral statement. "It's the direction they run towards screaming," she eyed him carefully. "Have you decided which way you want to go or are you still stuck at the cross-roads?"

And Tai couldn't answer because he didn't know.

The door opened and then she was gone, and so was the anger he felt mere moments ago. He had done it again. Lashed out and pushed away someone else he cared about. What was the matter with him?

Izzy entered cautiously a few minutes later, scanning the room with suspicious eyes. "So, um, nothing happened right?" he said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Did they find Agumon?" Tai asked, ignoring the question.

Izzy wrung his hands together helplessly. "They couldn't pick up any trace of him. It's like he's vanished off the face of this planet. Oh, but I'm sure he's still in the real world though!" the boy tried to amend hastily. "I'm sure he didn't get sucked through a warp-hole or something! I'm sure he's fine."

He probably was, Tai agreed mentally. As long as he didn't have a useless partner like him dragging him down.

An exhausted, numb fog crept over his mind and seeped into his body. Tai welcomed the weariness, lying back down and drawing the blanket back.

"What are you doing?"

"Going to sleep."

"But it's still daylight. It's in the middle of the afternoon!" Izzy protested. "You go to sleep now and you'll be up all night!"

"Doubt it," Tai mumbled pulling the covers over his head.

He felt as if he could sleep forever. There was no need to face reality if he was asleep. No need to think and be reminded over and over of his past mistakes.

"I know things look hopeless right now, alright? But don't do this! You can't just block out the rest of the world because of a few unfortunate circumstances!" Izzy yelled at him, angry frustration flying off of every word.

"Watch me."

And he sunk down into blessed oblivion of dreams filled with a long-forgotten time where his existence has once served a purpose.

oOo

He slept through dinner, slept through sunset, woke up once to use the restroom, but was able to fall back into slumber the minute his head hit his pillow. Slept through early morning and the only reason he woke up before noon was because of the loud rumbling and sharp gnawing of hunger in his stomach.

Another bento was waiting on the nightstand with another message on his D-Terminal from Izzy, this one less than jovial from yesterdays.

**Your sister is worried about you because you haven't contacted her for two days now. So is everyone else. Type up something and send it their way please. And if you keep up your abnormal sleeping habits, I'm going to tell Joe you've developed mono. So do something productive today or you're going to have another hospital check-up sooner than you think!**

**-Izzy**

Tai slammed the D-Terminal's lid shut and knocked the device to the floor. There was nothing more for him to say to them. They must know—all of them if their partners were out searching—that Agumon had left him. He was too ashamed to even face them via email.

His role as a Digidestined now was nothing but a sham.

He ate the bento methodically, the food utterly tasteless in his mouth. There was one point he did agree with Izzy on though. He had spent far too long sleeping in a room that wasn't even his. If he had to stare at these same four walls again for any longer he'd go stir-crazy.

So he let himself out when Mrs. Izumi's back was turned to him. He didn't want to engage in meaningless small talk. He didn't think he had the energy to keep up a carefree façade. The fresh, wintry breeze was a relief from the stifling, warm air of the apartment.

Tai let his feet do the walking, not bothering to notice his surroundings or caring where he ended up. All he could think of was Agumon and where he might be. He thought he could come to terms with his partner casting him aside—he deserved it. But there were so many things in the real world a Digimon had a difficult time understanding. Like how cars were not sentient beings called Automobilemon and you should not try to start a conversation with one at the intersection when the light was green. It wasn't just the perils of the human world that had him worried. What if a Virus without a host slipped over to this side and attached itself to him again?

_Agumon… where would you go?_ Tai thought desperately stopping in his tracks. Had he simply run away without a goal in mind? Hadn't he promised he'd be there for him whenever he needed him, always and forever? But then, Tai had promised him that he would never fail his partner again.

They were both such terrible liars.

"Captain!"

Tai looked up. There, a few feet ahead of him was the soccer team, their uniforms visible beneath their winter clothing, and Sano at the front of the group waving energetically. From the looks of it, they had come fresh off the field, which meant that school had already let out an hour before they had started practice. He had been wandering around for that long?

The next thing he knew he had been swamped on all sides by familiar faces of people who were enormously overjoyed to see him. Sano had loped one arm around his neck, Asama was giving him a playful noogie on the head, Kitagawa had punched him lightly in the arm, and the rest of his teammates were patting him lightly on the shoulders, careful never to accidentally touch the span of his back.

"Captain, where have you been for so long?"

"We missed you!"

"How's your back healing up?"

"You missed our epic soccer match!"

"Epic _loss,_ is what he means."

"Dude, no! Coach slipping into insanity towards the end was so epic, the game might just have been a _win!"_

"The only good outcome about it is that the school is hiring a new coach and we get stress-free practice time until the spring season tournament!"

"You have to get better so you can join us again, Captain!"

Tai was overwhelmed. There was a tight, breathless sensation in his chest. The kind you get when you're on the very top of a roller coaster about to shoot downhill. He had almost forgotten. The soccer members were his teammates too. Teammates that he _hadn't _ snapped and lost it in front of, but still had let down just the same by getting injured and being unable to play. He had even been neglecting his duties as captain by not keeping up to date on his team's skills, speed, and progress. Even if he couldn't play soccer yet, he could have at least come and overseen the practices on the bench.

Why was it that life was so persistent in shoving every area of weakness he had developed into his face?

"I'm sorry," Tai said with downcast eyes, "I haven't been a very good captain lately, have I?"

"Now look what you big clouts did!" Sano's admonishing voice sounded in ears. "Taichi-san, don't take these idiots to heart! They all think your spinal fracture is some sort of glorified war wound. Defending your lady fair in the tide of battle! How noble a cause!"

"What?"

But Sano had already starting walking, hauling Tai along as his arm had never unwound itself from around his neck. "Come on, men! Let's commemorate our captain's safe return to us with a celebratory feast!" he exclaimed dramatically, punching his free hand into the air. The soccer team fell in alongside them with excited shouts.

There was no escaping. Tai was found himself trekking the crowded Tokyo sidewalks, surrounded by enthusiastic, chattering teammates who argued about every favorite food dish under the sun until they passed by a _teppanyaki_ restaurant where there was a great deal of pushing and shoving through the doors to be the first ones inside and a mad scramble to grab one of the longer tables.

"Okonomiyaki!" cried one of the reserve players, a first year mid-fielder by the name of Katsuhito who was bouncing up and down in his seat. "We're going to have okonomiyaki!"

The batter and ingredients were delivered to them once everyone had sat down and then fight over who could prepare the biggest, baddest, most delicious pancake on the flat-surface, hot iron griddle began.

"Hey, those were my _bonito _flakes!"

"Well, you were too slow!"

"Whose got the scallops?"

"Pass the pork cuttings!"

"Don't drop that squid into the batter or so help me—!"

"Guys, check it out! It's Mt. Fuji!" Kitagawa crowed as he topped his pancake with yakisoba noodles into a triangular-shaped mountain. His triumph only lasted a few seconds before his masterpiece melted down under the steaming_ kewpie_ sauce Asama poured over it.

"You killed it, man! What the hell?"

"The volcano erupted," Asama shrugged smugly.

"You're not hungry?" Sano questioned as Tai poked idly at his pancake that was sizzling on the hot iron. He hadn't bothered adding any special side fillings other than a handful of beef slices.

"I ate earlier," Tai said.

Sano stared at his face for a little while before venturing, "You shouldn't worry about not being able to play soccer so much. It's only temporary. You'll be back on the field better than ever leading us to victory once more again soon!"

Tai's hand on the spatula closed convulsively. "But what if I'm no good anymore? What if I lost my skill? What if I've become a failure? I can't even manage overseeing my own team. I'm sure you've made a better striker than_ me_ in my absence…" Sweat collected in a crown of drops around his forehead that wasn't just from the heat the hot iron griddle was emitting, was making it difficult for him to breathe.

He felt a hand land on his shoulder, the tiny tremors that had started subsided at the simple gesture. Tai looked up to see Sano smiling at him.

"Hey, it's ok," Sano said. "You just have to put a little more faith in yourself."

"Faith…" Tai echoed, remembering Agumon's last words to him.

"_You not only don't believe in yourself… you've given up believing in _me."

"That's right," Sano continued solemnly. "I know you, Taichi. We've been teammates since primary school and you should have no fear about suddenly losing your talent! Whatever the problem, you have to remember that soccer isn't what abandons you. It's _you _who abandons it first. If you give up before the game, how will know if you could have won?"

"Ah, ah!" nodded Asama, who had been listening, dived in. "I'm the goalie for this team, but even _I_ know it's not me blocking the balls that will allow us to win. Sometimes the ball will go in despite your best effort. Then it's up to you to trust your teammates to take the points back!"

"Yeah!" came the unified, vigorous whoops of the forwards. By now, the entire soccer team had been drawn into the conversation.

"That's the beauty of soccer!" Sano declared, his eyes taking on a shining gleam. "You don't have to bear the burden of winning or loosing all by yourself. Soccer isn't a solo sport. It takes eleven people to play the game not one! Every action is connected out there. If you flounder on the field, so will your teammates."

The overwhelming feeling was back in Tai's chest, but it was different from before. This time there was a glowing warmth to it that stretched out and numbed the pain he had locked away. His teammates weren't even aware of his other life, the complications in it, and yet their words still drove the message home.

_Is that what I've been doing_? Tai thought. _Fighting by myself?_ Had he been trying to prove he was still just as good as Davis and the younger team, if not better?

His musings were interrupted by someone rushing into the restaurant flustered and out of breath from running so hard.

"Quick, turn on the tv!" he shouted at one of the servers behind the bar. "More of those monsters have appeared! They're broadcasting it live on all the channels!"

A sinking sensation swooped in his stomach at the announcement. Whether it was that more Digimon had slipped through to the real world and were running amok, or if they were more of Lord Daemon's minions purposefully causing havoc—Tai knew that the Digidestined had to be involved either way… and he could not help them.

There wasn't an immediate outburst of panic, at least not as much as he had expected. Some of the customers did seem nervous and apprehensive, but for the most part, quite a lot of people looked annoyed.

"What? _Again?"_ the head cook grumbled, throwing down his wipe rag and going over to turn on the tv in the corner. "I had to close this shop for an entire week last time because we ran out of supplies and the delivery trucks were overturned and lost their cargo!"

"I got held up at the train station for seven hours when this happened before!" one woman shared to her friend.

"My cousin's bakery was destroyed last time by this giant teddy bear who shot laser beams from his eyes!" her friend chipped in.

"My car got flattened by this black triceratops creature!" a salary-man in a business suit voiced his own displeasure. "It's completely totaled and the insurance won't pay for it because they claim their policy doesn't cover dinosaur-related damages!"

Even the news anchor on television appeared less-than-impressed and un-frightened by the latest monster attacks.

"Good afternoon, citizens of Tokyo," the man greeted his viewers in a bored, drawling manner as he shuffled his papers in front of him. "If you are just tuning in then this breaking news. Yes, we are currently undergoing yet another string of attacks caused by monsters. I suppose the questions everyone wants answered are: where are these creatures coming from? What kind of manner of beasts are they? Is their destruction of our cities simply a misguided attempt to communicate with us? Has Japan become some sort of monster magnet? And what precautions should we civilians take into our own hands since our military has been proven their complete inadequacy at protecting us? And the answer to all these inquiries is…"

The people in the restaurant waited with bated breath.

"We don't know!" the news anchor chirped almost cheerfully at the camera, adjusting his glasses.

There was a general groan of dissent as well as several, colorful curses flung at the tv.

"That's right! We the people whose very jobs depend on uncovering the truth and presenting the facts are as clueless as the rest of you!" the news anchorman continued on his merry tirade. "But our suggestion is that you stay out of the path of these monsters because they have been proven to be extremely dangerous when encountered! On the bright side, they might just destroy each other without us even stepping in since fighting within their ranks remains a constant factor in every one of their appearances! We have a news crew at the scene bringing us live footage."

The scene on tv switched from the news anchor to a fuzzy, unstable video of a woman clutching her microphone in a terrified death grip as she spoke into it.

"We are here on the outskirts of Fujiyoshida City broadcasting live the appearance of the monsters that have appeared so suddenly, seeming to have crawled down from the slopes of Mt. Fuji today. We are not certain of their exact origin at this time. Whether Mt. Fuji serves as a portal of some kind, whether these monsters are aliens or demons, however, the citizens of Fujiyoshida City are being evacuated as we speak due to the intense battle that has broken out as you can see."

With this, the camera panned onto the city behind the woman and zoomed in. The news crew were too far away to fully bring the details of the monsters into focus, but Tai could still recognize the shapes of Arukeniemon and Mummymon as they leapt across rooftop to rooftop, Halsemon and Nefertimon hot on their trail. Kari and Yolei weren't visible on their backs, but if their partners were there, they had to be somewhere nearby. Mt. Fuji must have been where Oikawa had been in hiding. No wonder the Digidestined hadn't been able to locate him.

Paildramon soared up above the skyscrapers suddenly and Tai's anxiety for his sister relented slightly. If he was there then so was the rest of the younger team probably, and Arukeniemon and Mummymon didn't stand a chance of escaping.

But they were not the concerns of Paildramon at the moment as he completely ignored the two, his attention directed his energy blasts at something below him on the ground.

"KYAAAAAA!" the woman reporter screamed looking up as an enormous shadow passed over her. The camera tilted upwards swiftly to only catch the end of the Digimon's tail feathers as they soared overhead.

Garudamon was there.

A white and blue-striped wolf running on his two hind legs raced past the woman in blue causing her to scream again.

So was WereGarurumon.

The older Digidestined had arrived. And there were more Digimon there besides Arukeniemon and Mummymon. It must be as bad as the time of the Christmas Eve concert but reversed. There were too many for the younger kids to handle and they had called in reinforcements. Had another rogue gateway opened on Mt. Fuji?

On tv, a herd of Mammothmon stampeded out of the city straight towards the news crew.

The woman screamed for a third and final time, unleashing the most blood-curdling shriek ever as she and her cameraman made a wild dash to their van.

"I can't handle this kind of pressure!" the woman reporter could be heard wailing as all the camera showed at the moment was a full view of the steering wheel. "I WANTED TO BE WEATHER GIRL, DAMMIT! Here's my daily weather report, Japan! Steer clear of Fujiyoshida City today! We have a one hundred percent chance of it raining monsters!"

"Man," Kitagawa sighed in disappointment as he watched the chaos unfold. "They're totally trashing the place. I was going to hiking up there with my dad this weekend. I bet the military will have the entire area blocked off for _weeks._ Stupid monsters, why couldn't they find some other planet to invade?"

It stung a little that his teammate felt that way, but to the public, Digimon were really nothing more then Hollywood-type monsters come to life that wrecked their surrounding environments and placed a huge strain on people's lives, jobs, mentality and finances. He couldn't fault them for thinking that way when Digimon had caused nothing but trouble so far.

"I don't think they're all bad, actually," Tarou, one of the newcomers to the team in the position of defender, spoke up startling everyone with his declaration.

"You're taking their side after all they done?" frowned Kitagawa.

"It's not about choosing sides," Tarou said firmly with enough conviction in his tone to show that he was serious. "It's true most of them will try and kill you as soon as look at you, but there are exceptions. My little brother and sister were at the skating rink the other day when it got attacked by that 'flying witch lady' they described her as."

Tai jerked his head up sharply. Tarou's little brother and sister… could they be the same children Agumon had been ice-skating with?

"They said their friend 'Mr. T-Rex' saved them," Tarou shared. "If he hadn't been there, then my brother and sister would likely be dead by now. So they can't be all bad if some of them protect us like that, like we're _worth _something to them."

Worth.

He had been worth something once. He had had a partner and had been part of a wonderful group of friends as well as a team.

There was a small voice in his head urging him to leave and go to Fujiyoshida City, but that was insane right? The younger kids were fine now. The older Digidestined were there. They didn't need him and without Agumon he was useless to help, wasn't he?

oOo

"_Soccer isn't what abandons you. It's you who abandons it first!"_

oOo

"_Soccer isn't a solo sport. It takes eleven people to play the game not one!"_

oOo

What had Davis been about to say before he had cruelly taken his anger out on him?

"_We're a team, remember? We can't win unless we're all together!"_

oOo

Was it true? Would it really make a difference at all whether or not he got up this very instant and attempted to go to Fujiyoshida City even though all transportation there had no doubt been canceled, without partner and without courage?

oOo

"_A wise man once said you can't really exhibit courage unless you feel fear. But that can't be your problem, can it? Unless you've stopped caring altogether even to be afraid."_

oOo

"_Do you know what makes the difference between a hero and coward? It's the direction they run towards screaming."_

oOo

He was so sick of this pit of apathetic despair that he had fallen into… but the only way to get rid of it was if he found the strength to climb out by himself.

He jumped to his feet abruptly startling everyone and discovered that his legs were shaking.

"Captain? What's wrong?" Asama asked.

"I've got to go," Tai gasped out, adrenalin coursing madly through his veins. "I should left… a long while ago."

He rushed for the door, leaving the bewildered cries of his teammates behind him, and had only put one foot outside before his name was called.

"Hey, Taichi!"

He stopped only because it was Sano. The boy was turned around halfway in his seat to give him a thumbs up. "Give 'em hell!" he grinned broadly.

Tai's eyes widened. Did Sano _know? _Or at least suspect? He shook the surprise off quickly. It didn't matter if he did or not at this point. He had friends he wasn't going to let down any second longer. He flashed him a return thumbs up before running out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk, a half-formed idea emerging out of the depths of his mind which had been clouded by his own doubts and insecurity for so long.

He ran until he reached a telephone booth.

Stepped inside.

Dialed Jun's cell phone.

And sincerely hoped that this one time she would answer the strange number that was calling instead of leaving it for her insane voicemail to pick up.

"Hello?"

"I've figured out which direction I want to run screaming!" Tai proclaimed breathlessly.

He could _hear_ the smile in her voice as she spoke. "It's about time."

oOo

Jun pulled up next to the curb where he was waiting in under fifteen minutes. One of the perks of driving a moped: traffic lanes and jams did not necessarily apply to you.

"Ready to go kick some badass monster butt, Mr. Foolish Hero Complex?" Jun grinned cheekily.

"Ah, well, I decided that I needed to blow off some steam," Tai shrugged casually, taking the spare helmet and putting it on, smiling as the faint scent of almonds wafted over him. "Hey, sorry… about yesterday."

"Tch, it wasn't the first time I've seen a guy act like they have a severe case of male PMS," Jun rolled her eyes, dangling the keys in front of him. "Now start her up!"

"W-w-what?" Tai stuttered, scarcely believing what he was hearing. "You want _me_ to drive?"

"Oh, you don't want to?" Jun mock-feigned surprise, starting to withdraw her hand back. "Well, I guess I'll just have to—"

"_No!"_ Tai yelped, snatching the keys from her grasp. "I mean _hell, yeah,_ I totally want to drive! But I don't—"

"Oh, please, it's easy," Jun rolled her eyes, giving him a brief tutorial. "Front brake on the right, rear brake on the left," she indicated to the handle bars. "Hold both brakes when you give it gas or else you'll crash before you even take off. To accelerate, twist the right handle bar. To turn right, steer left. To turn left, steer right. See? Easy as pie."

"Uhhh…" Tai said, his mind spinning in circles. "Maybe you should drive after all."

"Don't be silly. The videographer can't drive and tape at the same time!" Jun stated hopping off and opening the seat up to retrieve a mini-cam recorder from beneath. "That news crew at Fujiyoshida were such amateurs!" she scoffed. "Since we're going to be right up close and in the midst of all the action, I figured why not catch it all on film? This will be Jun Motomiya's shining debut video as a top-rate reporter! No news studio in the world will turn me down a job!"

Tai blinked… then smiled. Well, since Digimon had already been exposed to the public, he didn't see any harm in letting her videotape them. They both had dreams to chase before they were lost to them.

He waited until Jun had fixed the camcorder's strap around her neck and climbed on behind him, encircling her arms around his waist. Then he tried to follow the instructions she had given him, turned the key in the ignition, twisted the handlebars to rev it up… and the moped shot forward five feet before overturning sharply sending them both spilling onto the sidewalk.

"I said to hold both the brakes down when you give it gas!" Jun yelled, whacking him in the helmet but she was laughing.

"Sorry," Tai said flushing hotly as he stood the moped upright and they both climbed back on. This time when he powered it up, he did so correctly.

"Just don't go over thirty kilometers until we're out of Tokyo or you'll have us trapped under a bus!" Jun ordered as he eased the moped onto the roadway into the heavy traffic.

"Don't be a backseat driver, woman!" Tai shouted fighting back the large grin that threatened to take over his face as something Izzy said drifted back to him.

"_Wherever Agumon is, he left for a good reason and it certainly isn't because he has abandoned you!"_

oOo

_Agumon, I'm sorry,_ he thought as he sped along. _I've only been living in the present. Embracing the past, trying to escape the future. All because I was afraid of change. I haven't given up yet. I'm coming. Wherever you are, please… please find me!_

oOo

_Tai's Haiku Corner_

_When someone belives_  
_In you, respond through action_  
_Never hesitate_

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below:

_Teppanyaki:_ Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food. These types of restaurants are widely used to cook foods in front of their customers. Don't confuse this with the _hibachi_ type grill, which uses charcoal or gas flame. _Teppanyaki _grills are flat-iron surfaces. In the West, people sit a bar-counter while the Japanese cook performs a knife-show while cooking their meals. It's a little different in Japan. Most_ teppanyaki_ restaurants have their own booths with hot grills built into the tables. Usually the customer orders what they want, get the ingredients and cook their own food themselves! Cool, no? And the most commonly served dish in an Eastern _teppanyaki _restaurant is _okonomiyaki. _

_Okonomiyaki: _large, grilled Japanese pancake with various fillings, topping, and condiments. Commonly used ingredients include seafood, beef, chicken, chopped vegetables, pickled ginger, and _bonito._

_Bonito: _fish ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Basically dried fish flakes to add to whatever dish you have prepared. Seaweed flavor is available also.

_Kewpie: _spicy, Japanese mayonnaise, brown in color; resembles steak sauce.

Two months since the last update. I didn't enjoy anymore than you all did, I'm sure. God, it's harder than you think to kick someone out of angsting. I wanted it to be as realistic as possible. I wanted people to see everything connect. I'm not sure if I succeeded, but I think I got close. I don't think Tai has quite redeemed himself fully yet, but he's on the right path!

And once again, Jun and Tai's relationship did not get found out because the chapter is too darn long, but there's no more denying it next chapter. Not when they arrive together, heehee!^^

Fun Facts: You know why I love reading/writing about Digimon so much? Why I'm still in love with a kid's show after 10+ years? Because of the deep friendship bonds the show portrays. It's not about the love triangles, the crushes, the plot or the action (though that part is exciting). It's about character interaction, development and growth. In practically every season of Digimon, you get to see the kids evolve. To change into someone stronger. To know that no matter how many times you fall, your friends are there to lend you a hand back up. To face the wall that holds you back from improving and push it down with your friends support at your back.

I didn't think I would find a show like Digimon ever again. Then I stumbled across Inazuma Eleven. *cracks grin* Best damn anime about soccer I have ever watched and yes, I have watched about all the choices out there so far. (Tai and Davis would be such FANBOYS! XD). I was deeply inspired by the first and second opening songs. I highly suggest watching them on youtube and reading the lyrics. The songs themselves are really catchy. I found myself singing them in Japanese today—very, very, butchered, out of tune Japanese. It was awesome! X3 Anyway, those songs are good to listen to when Tai runs into the soccer team.

Anime openings inspire me a lot in my writing if you hadn't noticed. Two more OPs that would fit this chapter towards the end are Eyeshield 21's third OP (Dang Dang by zz) and its fifth OP as well (Honoo no Runningback). Again, you must read the lyrics for the scenes in the OP to make any sense. The anime is about American football, not soccer, but it still fits the situation here. And finally, to end it all, I listened to Get Over by Dream (Hikaru no Go OP1, lol) and The Perfect Scene by Mercy Mercedes. And of course, Be My Escape by Reliant K is great to play while reading the beginning of the chapter. Yes, a listened to a TON of music for this chapter. It helps get the gears turning when they start rusting over.

So anyway, did anyone guess where Agumon went off to and why? Izzy's right. It's not because he's abandoned Tai. The reason shouldn't be too hard to guess if you put your mind to it. And even though I took creative license since the story is AU, Digimon responding to their partner's wishes seems pretty probable canon-wise. Remember when Davis was upset because Veemon was the only Digimon on the team that couldn't fly? What did he digivolve into? Ex-Veemon has _wings. _And I don't want to give away future plot, but there could have been more Digimon that slipped into the real world through that portal that was ripped near Mt. Fuji by a certain someone. Plus, yeah, I _did _just want to give the older kids more screen-fighting time^^

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	22. The Ties That Bind

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **Definition of Japanese terms below chapter. I had to put in time frames in italics every time I switch scenes because of the time-jumps-_-;; A little confusing, but necessary. PLOT setup for the future! Also, new POV besides Tai's this time! Cool, no?^^

**Ch. 21 The Ties That Bind**

_Damn Fujiyoshida City,_ Tai though clenching his jaw. _Being almost a good forty-five minutes away from Tokyo!_ And that was traveling by faster transportation than a moped carrying two passengers! He wished he knew what was going on.

"Hold on, lemme check. They might be broadcasting it on the radio," Jun said as if she could read his mind and startling him by leaning heavily against his back as she stretched her arm over his shoulder to reach a knob on the controls. Then her face was hair-breaths away from his own and the scent of almonds swamped his senses.

Tires squealed and burned rubber as the moped zigzagged willy-nilly all over the road as Tai momentarily lost control over the handlebars. A truck passing in the opposite direction honked his horn angrily at them for driving in his lane, and Tai barely had time to swerve out of his way.

"Careful! You nearly made us road-kill back there!" Jun shouted in his ear.

"W-w-whose f-fault is _that?" _Tai gasped, shaking and sweating but not from the near-fatal encounter. "You don't just… just…"

"Eh? What are you on about now?" Jun asked dryly.

"_You don't just go pressing up against a guy all of sudden like that!" _Tai all but yelled, then wishing he could reclaim those words the very instant they flew out of his mouth.

Especially when a very familiar symphony of evil giggles began filling the air. "Oho, what's this?" Jun inquired slyly, snaking her arms tightly around his upper chest. "Does Mr. Foolish Hero Complex have a shy side? Heeheehee!"

"S-shut up!" Tai shouted, feeling heat flood his cheeks. "Don't do things like that when I'm driving!"

"Hmmm? Well, when am I allowed do them then?" Jun questioned interestedly, letting her clasped hands slide down lower around his middle.

"_NOT NOW!"_

"Soooo cuuuute!" Jun simpered not able to resist kissing Tai on the cheek.

_RRRRR-RRRKKKK!_

"Ah, watch where you're going, Evil Cannibal!"

"I swear if you make me crash this moped and we die I'm going to haunt you for the rest of your days!"

"We'll _both _be dead already then, Ghost Vegeta!"

oOo

_Odaiba, Tokyo, Fall 1999._

Davis Motomiya hated soccer.

He hadn't always hated it. Rather, it had been one of those activities he knew about, but hadn't particularly cared for or disliked either way. It had been sort of like the game of shogi he sometime played with his grandma. It wasn't the first thing on his list that he would do for fun, but it was an entertaining pastime to stave off boredom when there was nothing else to do.

His family used to live in Chiba. Now they lived in Odaiba. Worst. City. Ever. You'd think his folks would get the picture of how bad the place was after they had all been kidnapped by a vampire and his ghost-minions after they had barely finished unpacking, but noooooo! The Motomiyas were renown for being notoriously stubborn.

It was bad enough moving in the middle of a school semester and being a transfer student on top of that. "Don't worry, you'll make new friends," his parents had told him when he had complained about missing his old ones. That was easier said than done. Most of the kids in his class had grown up knowing each other and had already formed their own little clichés. There wasn't any room for an unwelcome outsider like him to squeeze into.

"God, you're such a baby!" his sister had exclaimed disgusted at him when she had all but tripped over him sprawled out forlornly on the floor in the living room replaying one of his many video games he had won countless of times already. "Quit sulking and go outside! Isn't that how you guys form your unbreakable friendships? Bonding over some stupid sport or another? At least you don't have stand around and listen to the most popular girl in your grade jabber on about her fashion sense and love life and pretend to find it fascinating just to get on her good side!"

He had gone outside after that if only to escape being the target of another one of his sister's spazz attacks. There was a field not too far from his apartment and he grew excited at seeing some kids from his school there playing soccer when he arrived. The black and white checkered ball rolled to a stop at his feet from an off-side kick.

"Oi!" yelled a black-haired boy called Reiji if he remembered his name correctly. "Could you give us that back?"

Davis had picked the ball up and rushed over his heart pounding nervously. Maybe Jun had been right after all and he was about to make friends!

"Funny," Reiji had laughed when he held out the ball to him.

"Huh?" Davis had said confused.

"Most people would have just kicked it back," Reiji shrugged.

Davis' face turned beet red. Not even a full minute in and he was already showing his cluelessness at the sport!

"Hey, you're Motomiya, right? From class 1-B?" another boy said coming up to them.

Davis nodded slowly, not recognizing him.

"Kyousuke," the boy introduced himself smiling. "I sit two desks behind you. Hey, Reiji, let him join us. Then we'd have even numbered teams."

"Can you play?" Reiji had asked him.

Davis had nodded enthusiastically without hesitating. Truthfully, he hadn't played much soccer. He and his friends back in Chiba had been more into video games and anime than any sports. Most of what he could remember of the game consisted of kicking a ball around in the sandbox in preschool and watching it on tv. But still, it didn't seem that hard to figure out. It was just kicking the ball with your feet and not letting the other team get it right?

Wrong. Because apparently, hogging the ball all to yourself was considered bad form, but Davis couldn't help it because it soon became evident that he had absolutely no passing skills and all his kicks had missed their intended marks. After falling on his face for the fifth time, he found himself surrounding by his frowning teammates.

"Listen, if you can't play then you shouldn't lie about it," Reiji said. "We don't have time to waste on teaching you the rules."

"Yeah, our school is gonna win the Japan Little League tournament! We don't have a place for losers on our team!" cried a red-haired boy shaking a fist at him.

"Hamada!" Kyousuke said reproachfully, "Just because he can't play doesn't mean you are allowed to be so mean!"

"If we're nice to him, he'll only stick around and drag us down!" Hamada declared.

"I'm sorry, Motomiya," Reiji apologized politely but coolly. "But we have a goal we intend to reach. If you are not prepared to take soccer seriously, then do not bother to play."

They had left after that, left them there on the field, none with much as a backwards glance at him except for perhaps Kyousuke, but even his look was fleeting and dismissive.

And Davis realized suddenly that he hated soccer.

oOo

_Thump!_

_Thump!_

_Thump!_

In an isolated, wooded area of the park a soccer ball bounced off a tree trunk as its owner repeatedly kicked it towards the same target.

It wasn't that Davis had changed his mind about soccer. He still hated it. But no one called him a loser! He'd practice until he was better than all those guys, then he'd flaunt his skills in their faces, and get scouted by some famous Little League coach, ha! Not that he would ever join some lame soccer team, but he couldn't wait to see the envy on his classmates' faces. Then they'd be sorry they hadn't made friends with him!

Davis swung his leg out and kicked with vicious relish, imagining it was Hamada's face and the ball rebounded off the tree and smacked painfully into his stomach, causing him to double over wheezing.

"That's a funny way to play soccer," someone commented behind him.

Davis spun around still short of breath and his eyes landed on the silhouette of the person who had spoken. He was standing in a shadowy area of the trees so his features were hard to make out, however, when he cocked his head to one side curiously, sunlight was caught and glinted off the plastic eyepieces of the goggles holding up the person's wild hair.

Davis swiped one hand under his nose to rub away any dirt or leakage that he had failed to take notice of and turned away from mysterious newcomer without a word. He couldn't afford to get distracted. Wasn't that what Reiji had said? There was no time to waste and a goal to obtain. He'd become the best soccer player ever and prove to those jerkwads exactly who the losers were—it certainly wasn't him!

_Thump!_

This time the ball catered off the tree's trunk with a wild spiral to the left. The strange boy stepped forward into one of the small patches of sunlight and caught the ball with his hands easily. Height-wise, he was about three heads taller than him, and looked to be only a couple of years older. His skin was tan, his eyes and wild hair brown and he was grinning friendly at him.

"You've got a good solid kick there, but absolutely no sense of direction," the boy stated matter-of-factly.

Alright, that was it! Now even random passer-bys were making fun of him playing soccer? He wasn't going to take it anymore!

Davis hurled himself at the older boy with an angry shout, arms stretched out to snatch the soccer ball from his grasp. Only, the boy dropped the ball at the last second and began rolling it between his feet. Every time Davis attempted to try and get it with his hands, the boy would kick the ball up with his heel and ankle and bounce it from one knee to the other, spinning circles around him as he did so.

"Gimme my ball back!" Davis shrieked enraged, shooting out his foot in desperation as the boy let the ball drop to the ground again. The tip of his shoe connected and sent it hurtling a good ten yards away.

He dashed wildly towards it, aware of the older boy matching his stride alongside him. They reached the ball exactly at the same time, both their feet locking it between their shins for a brief moment before Davis acted on impulse and twisted to the right, managing to successfully steal the ball.

Davis stood with one foot resting on top of it, red-faced, glaring and panting in exertion, silently daring the other to come any closer and the older boy clapped his hands delightedly and laughed, "Yes! Yes! _That's_ how you play soccer!"

Davis blinked. What?

"Hey, I've got to go now. It's getting close to supper time," the older boy said glancing at the late afternoon sky peeking through the treetops. "But I'll be here tomorrow—if I survive tonight's meal—and we could play again. You're pretty good for a beginner! You've got loads of talent, kid!"

Davis had watched the back of the boy's blue shirt until he had lost sight of him. He picked up the soccer ball and scowled.

Come here again tomorrow? Yeah, right. Forget it. Soccer was stupid and people who wore goggles were crazy freaks.

oOo

Davis never asked the older boy's name, and he never gave him one nor asked for Davis' name, preferring to address him as "chibi". Goggles, as Davis had become to think of him, thankfully never questioned him about his private life or school. He seemed to have assigned himself as his coach without Davis' consent. Every day, Davis would go to the same place and the boy would be there or arrive shortly after. Every day, Davis learned a little more about the rules and the world of soccer. He told himself that he was only using the older boy to become a better soccer player. He had almost convinced himself of this when one day Goggles complimented him on how his balance had improved and now his kicks were more stable, and Davis was shocked to discover himself flushing in pride at the praise.

"Aw, that's a cute look for you, chibi!" Goggles had laughed, poking his red cheek with one finger in a teasing manner. "Do that more instead of frowning. You'll have girls swooning at your feet!"

Davis had pushed away his hand. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded confused.

"Doing what?" Goggles asked, that goofy, annoying grin of his still plastered on his face.

"Helping me with my soccer!" Davis burst out angrily. "What? Am I so pathetic that I need a tutor in sports too?" His parents had recently arranged a private tutor for him because of his failing grades. Now he had one when he went outside school too. Did he really suck at everything in life?

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" Now it was Goggles who looked confused. "I come here to play soccer with you because the game is more fun with two people than all by yourself."

"Soccer? Fun?" Davis repeated, not understanding.

"Sure!" Goggles bobbed his head up and down vigorously. "Haven't we had fun playing together?"

Davis thought about it. About how lonely he had felt since he had first moved to Odaiba. How he had only focused on soccer because his classmates were so obsessed with it and he desperately wanted to fit in. How much he eagerly looked forward to these few short hours in the wooded area of the park every day not because his soccer was improving, but because of the person who would be there waiting for him.

It was almost as if he had made a friend without even realizing.

The astonishment must have shown on his face for Goggles let out another one of his barking laughs and laid a hand on head, ruffling his spiked hair affectionately. "Hey, chibi, since it's the weekend, I think our families won't mind us skipping one meal at home. Let's go eat out. My treat."

They had ended up at an open-booth ramen cart with Goggles grumbling about how he couldn't believe the udon stall was closed today of all days, but that ramen was an okay substitute.

The vendor had been a young woman who had squealed excitedly about how adorable the two brothers were and how sweet it was for the older one to be looking after the younger.

"Hey, chibi," Goggles had whispered to him when the woman's back was turned as she prepared their dishes. "Your big brother's name is Tai."

"D-Davis," Davis had squeaked.

A sudden weight came down on his neck as an arm was slung around it.

"Nice to finally meet you, little bro," said a voice above his head with a faint trace of amusement and Davis felt his face flame red once more.

For the first time since moving to Odaiba, Davis found himself not missing his old home at all.

oOo

It had been about one month since his first, disastrous meeting with the Odaiba Elementary soccer club when one day upon walking the path that passed by the field, Davis was surprised to see the members sitting on the grassy slope that led down to the playing area watching something.

Curious, he stopped and followed their gazes. There was a group of older boys on the field in red and white soccer uniforms.

"Eh? What are you doing here, Clown-boy?" Hamada had been the first to spot him standing off to the side watching along with them.

"Who are they?" Davis asked wondering why the club members were allowing their field to be used by strangers without a fight.

"Tch, you really don't know anything, do you?" Hamada scoffed and explained smugly. "That's the Odaiba Elementary soccer team."

"Wait, you mean you guys aren't on the team?"

"There are different leagues for elementary soccer teams depending on their grade level," Reiji had spoken up, his eyes never leaving the players below. "But the fifth and sixth graders are the ones the Junior League scouts for their middle schools."

Davis looked back down at the red and white uniform players. Oh, so that's who they were.

"They're so cool!" Hamada exclaimed abruptly, admiration glowing in his eyes. "One day I'm gonna be just like Atarashi and Kamiya-sempai!"

"Numbers 05 and 01," Kyousuke pointed out helpfully when it was clear that Davis still didn't get who Hamada was talking about.

Davis did another sweep of the field, his eyes landing on the black-haired boy who wore the Number 05 uniform and the brown-haired boy in the Number 01 uniform.

"So, they're good then?" he wondered out loud.

"_Good?"_ Hamada spat as if he had received a personal insult and leaped to his feet. "They're awesome! They're soccer geniuses! And they're something you'll never hope to be in a million years so just _beat it already!"_

Davis fell down as Hamada shoved him roughly in the chest. His backside had barely hit the grass before he was upright again, anger flaring in his chest, and flinging himself at Hamada in flying tackle that had them both rolling head over heels down the slope where they tumbled to dusty stop on the dirt field.

"Get off! Get off me, you freak!" Hamada shouted pounding him with his fists.

Davis raised a fist of his own ready to belt an all-too satisfying punch to his tormentor's nose, when he was suddenly hauled off him by the back of his shirt and dangled a few feet off the ground.

"Whoa there, calm down, chibi," said a familiar voice and Davis threw his head back to see who was holding him.

He wasn't wearing his favorite head accessory so his hair was falling down in sweaty, matted locks instead of standing up in its usual wild fashion, but now up-close, there was no mistaking the boy's face: Goggles—no, _Tai_—wearing the Number 01 uniform. Kamiya-sempai, Hamada had called him.

Davis gaped. He hadn't known Goggles went to his school.

"What's going on?" Number 05, Atarashi-sempai, asked jogging over.

"Ah, Atarashi-sempai, Kamiya-sempai, sorry, I'm so sorry!" Hamada cried horrified that his idols had caught him fighting and threw himself face-first into a prostrate position on the ground.

By now the rest of the younger year soccer club members had skidded down the slope and were bowing their apologies as well.

"Please forgive us," Reiji said bowing solemnly. "We didn't mean to disturb your practice."

"Yeah!" Hamada bit out, lifting his head and pointing a finger towards Davis. "Besides, he's the one who—"

"Aha, I've got it!" Goggles exclaimed loudly, interrupting him. "You guys enjoyed watching us older kids play so much that you wanted to join us!"

"Eh?" Hamada looked taken aback by that declaration.

"I'm sure we could manage to fit in one small game into our practice time. How about it, Sano?" Goggles asked, turning his head to Number 05 and setting Davis back on his feet. "Two on two play? You and OTL over there versus me and chibi here? Kitagawa and Asama can be our goalies."

A sly grin broke out across Atarashi-sempai's face as some hidden message passed between them. "Fine by me," he shrugged, trotting over and hauling Hamada up by his collar. "Come on, OTL, let's plan out our battle strategy."

Davis allowed himself to be led onto the field, hardly able to believe what was happening. He was going to play soccer? Here in the open? With both his classmates and kids from upper grades watching him? All he knew was that his soccer couldn't possibly have improved so much over a span of four weeks to make any good lasting impression.

"Just follow my lead, my spit-fighting kouhai," Goggles murmured out of the corner of his mouth as they took up their positions on the field. A hand patted the top of his head in the same caring manner it had that day in the park.

Then the whistle was blown to start the game and everything exploded into chaos.

"Attack Pattern Alpha!" Goggles cried out the command, shooting his arms out dramatically as he dribbled the ball towards the opposite goal.

Davis nearly tripped over his own feet. What? He had never once heard that come out of Goggles' mouth in all their time together. He had absolutely no clue what he was supposed to do.

"Oh no! Not Attack Pattern Alpha!" Atarashi-sempai exclaimed aghast. "Quickly, OTL! Counter-measure with Strike Force 9000!"

Hamada appeared as equally confused as Davis. What battle-strategy the two had discussed before the game, it didn't seem to involve this. The boy had stopped mid-field looking positively bewildered and Goggles passed by him in a blur.

"Your defense is easily broken, my rival!" Goggles crowed as he prepared to head off with Atarashi-sempai. "You will never withstand my Pepper Breath Shoot!"

"Ha! Your Pepper Breath Shoot is no match for my Equation Stunray!" Atarashi-sempai laughed crazily as he and Goggles fought over control of the ball. "What is the square root of sixty-five to the twelfth power divided by pi?"

"_Noooo!_ Not math! Anything but that!" Goggles moaned piteously clutching his head as if to stop his brain from leaking out and did a 180 spin, kicking the ball in a back-pass to Davis. "You're our last hope, chibi! Defeat the enemy with your special ability!"

"Don't just stand there, OTL! Stop him before he crushes us with his overwhelming power!" Atarashi-sempai shouted frantically.

They were both crazy. Stark-raving mad. A couple of lunatics.

Going by Hamada's expression he agreed whole-heartedly with Davis' sentiments, however, he didn't seem particularly keen on the idea that he could be beaten by an amateur such as him. The boy was tearing down the field straight towards him, and all Davis could do was blame the madness that had engulfed the soccer field for what he did next without thinking.

"R-R-Ramen Cart Charge!" he shrieked the first thing that jumped into his head as he dashed forward with his head lowered.

He heard Hamada give a surprised yelp as he knocked shoulders with him, jarring the other sideways in his rush pass and then Goggles was waving his arms and Davis had kicked the ball to him out of pure reflex.

It was by no means a perfect pass and veered way off course, but somehow Goggles still managed to get to it. "My eternal gratitude, chibi!" he saluted him sharply before turning his attention to the goal now only a few yards in front of him. "Prepare to be vaporized! Here it comes! _PEPPER BREATH SHOOT!"_

"Aiyah!" the goalie screamed high-pitched, collapsing to the ground and covering his eyes as if blinded. "I am no match for the brilliance of such an awesome attack! I concede your victory!"

"Yahoo!" Goggles was screaming, jumping up and down excitedly. "We won, we won, chibi!" Then Davis felt himself being picked up and spun around until he was dizzy and breathless. "Such a splendid and amazing attack! The Ramen Cart Charge shall go down in the Hall of Fame as one of the most deadly assaults in soccer history!"

Aloft in the air, close enough that he felt he could reach up and touch the clouds, a bright warmth was spreading across Davis' chest, almost something akin to happiness when Hamada's voice sounded out angrily.

"That wasn't real soccer, so you didn't win! Play seriously!"

Davis found himself deposited on the ground as Goggles' carefree expression turned abruptly somber.

"Did you hear that, Sano?" Goggles said crossing his arms. "I don't think OTL is satisfied with just one game."

"Ah, if I heard correctly, he wants a serious game," Atarashi-sempai said stepping up next to him and copying his pose. "Whatever shall we do?"

"Well, I suppose you and me could take him and chibi on together," Goggles suggested cupping his chin thoughtfully. "Too bad they don't seem to get along…"

"Me and Motomiya will beat you! Wait and see!" Hamada burst out shocking Davis. He thought that he would be the last person on the boy's list that he would choose to be on his team. However, it seemed Hamada was angrier at the two people he looked up to not taking him seriously than he was at being paired with a green-horn at soccer.

"Well, if you really insist…" Goggles drawled out, shrugging as if it didn't matter one way or another.

"Come on! We'll take you on right here, right now!" Hamada challenged looking more livid every second. "My little sister plays better soccer than you!"

"Oh, Sano, did he just…" Goggles wiggled his finger around in his ear as if to clear any blockage.

"I believe he just implied a girl could out-play us at soccer, yes," Atarashi-sempai confirmed somberly.

"Has he met Sora yet?" Goggles wondered out loud. "She'd take that as a compliment."

"But going by what he said, that's implying Sora could easily whip both our butts at the game and that also, we play _worse _than girls," Atarashi-sempai chuckled, looking as if he was eagerly awaiting Goggle's reaction to that statement.

A dark shadow had passed over Goggles' face and a dark, foreboding aura seemed to be emitting from somewhere behind him. "Oh, not in a_ million_ years! Right!" he growled, punching a fist into the open palm of his left hand. "You're going _down,_ OTL and chibi!"

"I didn't say anything!" Davis protested feeling slightly betrayed that Goggles had switched sides and now was up in arms against him.

"Come on, Motomiya! Let's slaughter these pushovers!" Hamada cried with a maddened fervor giving a sportsmanly clap on the arm.

It connected with enough force that Davis could already feel the bruise forming beneath the skin. What was strange though was that he found it hurt in a good way. It felt sort of like when Goggles had lifted him into the air and spun him around.

They hadn't won, of course. In fact, it had been a rather dismal defeat: 1-5. In the end, Davis and Hamada lay sprawled out on the field winded and limbs limp from exhaustion, their clothes and skin smeared with dirt and grass stains. It was almost refreshing when Goggles and Atarashi-sempai dumped their bottled water over both their heads, high-fiving each other as they did.

Except that Davis got a fat lip from Hamada's hand smacking into his mouth when he yowled and thrashed about like a cat that was drowning.

But not too long after, Hamada had opened a bag of sour gummy worms and shared it with him. Only him and no one else.

And then he had practically _ordered_ him to join the Odaiba Elementary soccer club, glaring at everyone else in it that might have any objections.

But there had been no protests from his classmates, their smiles warm and accepting, and then the upper years had suggested that since the entire soccer club was here which was rare, they should all eat out and make a special memory of the event.

"Udon! Let's go eat udon!" Goggles had demanded, rocking back and forth on heels in anticipation.

"No!" Atarashi-sempai yelled looking green at thought. "Aren't you sick of eating that every day?"

"Nope!" Goggles grinned.

"Well, me and the rest of the team are!" Atarashi-sempai said and several teammates backed him up vocally.

"Fine," Goggles pouted. "We'll let our newest member decided then. Ne, chibi, what are you hungry for?"

Davis was quiet for a few moments, but not because he was thinking about it. He knew exactly what he wanted to eat, he just having difficulty finding his voice. In the past hour he had gone from spending most of his time alone to a full schedule of friends and a sport they could all connect with. It was overwhelming.

Finally, though, the word managed to free itself from his throat. "R-ramen."

"Ramen!" Goggles had cried, flinging his arms around him and hugging him so tightly that he was sure his lungs were going to pop. "Another contender for noodles! Sempai is so happy!"

"Y-yay," Atarashi-sempai said paling slightly.

Maybe if he never got scouted for a professional soccer league he could open a ramen cart business. Because honestly, if he had to spend the rest of his life doing something he loved, of the two things, he couldn't think of a time he had ever been happier.

_Odaiba, Tokyo. Fall 1999. _

Davis Motomiya loved soccer.

But he loved his sempai more.

oOo

_Fujiyoshida City. January 2005._

"Davis, focus!"

Davis tore his mind away from the memories that threatened to envelop him and barely had time to register the reality that the road was splitting in half underneath him before he threw himself sideways purely on involuntary reflex. He skinned the palms of his hands and knees on impact and simply sat there in a bit of a daze as concrete flew up into air where he had been a few seconds ago.

"What were you thinking, porcupine-head?" Yolei's shrill voice sounded out reprimanding a few yards away. "Standing in the middle of the road like a mindless zombie in all this? You wanna become one of the undead that much?"

"You alright?" Ken asked coming over and offering him a hand up.

"Yeah," Davis mumbled taking hold of the proffered hand. The world spun dizzily around him as he was pulled to his feet and he blinked, feeling disoriented like he had forgotten something…

"Ah!" he yelped as patted down the pockets of his jacket, the weight of something that was supposed to be there notoriously absent. He cast his eyes about wildly and felt the panic welling in his chest die down as he spotted the object lying a few feet away.

Walking over, Davis bent down and retrieved the goggles, brushing debris particles and dust off the eyepieces and running his thumb over the white frames tenderly.

He hadn't been able to put them on since he had taken them off before bed that night he had spent at Ken's place.

He hadn't been able to leave them behind either so he had stuffed them in his jacket pocket instead when Digimon had started appearing in droves at Fujiyoshida City.

He could still hear Matt's words as they all stood outside of the Izumis' closed door thoroughly shocked at the scene they had just witnessed.

"Davis, Davis, don't believe him! He didn't mean any of it! He was… _upset…"_

And all he could feel was a numb, cold sensation all throughout his body except his hand which was still stinging from where it had been slapped away.

Slapped away and rejected from the very person who had ever first believed in him; who he had tried his hardest to tribute and aspire to.

The very person who had given him these goggles.

oOo

"_I think you were really brave back there in that battle, but I noticed you lost your goggles. And as we all know, the leader of the Digidestined just wouldn't look right without them, so here. I want you to have mine."_

oOo

Dimly, Davis realized that Yolei had started shrieking something at him again, but her words weren't registering, and then Ken was grabbing him by the wrist and practically dragging him through the street. Behind him, the building they had stood in front of exploded in a massive blast from overhead and an overpowering wave of hot air and smoke rolled over them. Eyes watering and lungs on fire, they stumbled blindly through it—Yolei's voice was like a foghorn guiding them to safety.

"Have you gone deaf?" the girl screeched once they had cleared the smog. She was yelling at both of them, but Davis knew it was directed solely at him. "Pay attention next time someone's warning you about incoming threats on your life!"

"I think it would have been a better idea if we had stayed outside of the city and just let our Digimon go in," Ken said wiping perspiration off his smudged face.

The younger team had all rushed as fast as possible to Fujiyoshida City when the news report had shown Digimon emerging there. Unsettled by the recent attacks of MarineDevimon and LadyDevimon, they hadn't been sure what to expect, but they still shouldn't have been taken off guard by running into Oikawa and his two cronies fleeing the city. Arukeniemon had turned the van on a dime and the team had chased them back inside without much thought. It was a decision they soon regretted when they were forced almost instantaneously to take on three tasks at once. One: to safely evacuate any remaining citizen left behind in the city. Two: to round up the rogue Digimon that were rampaging the city and hold them at secure point until the older kids came so that they could send them back to the Digital World through Izzy's laptop. And three: to catch Oikawa, Arukeniemon, and Mummymon, all of which had ditched the van and split up to add to the confusion.

And naturally, they had had to maintain a safe distance from their own partners so as not to become potential targets for an adversary's close combat range.

The team had become unwittingly separated in less than five minutes in running in opposite directions from a Tankmon's attack.

Yolei's D-Terminal beeped indicating she had mail. "It's T.K., Kari, and Cody," she said reading the message. "They want to know where we are."

"We're in a freaking battle-zone! Where _else_ would we be?" Davis snapped, anger sweeping over him suddenly. He welcomed it gladly. At least it was better than the horrible, numb feeling that had been haunting him for the past two days.

"Obviously!" Yolei shot back acidly. "Read the name off the street sign!"

"What street sign? You mean_ that_ street sign?" Davis pointed to a thin, metal pole that lay bent and twisted among a pile of rubble, the lettering on the green sign all but charred unrecognizable.

"Fine! We'll just go to the next block and read_ that_ sign!" Yolei cried thumbing to the next junction over her shoulder.

Just as a gigantic flare of red light tore through the street disintegrating everything in its path.

"Any more bright ideas?" Davis couldn't resist one final jab.

Yolei was glowering at him, her brown eyes smoldering from behind her round-framed glasses. She looked like she was refraining herself from slugging him. Alright, so she was a girl and it was against the rules to hit her back if she did, but Davis was all in favor of some good old-fashioned hair-yanking in the name of self-defense.

"We're in front of the Kawaguchiko Station, so that would make this the cross-section of Kawaguchiko and Yamanakako Street," Ken spoke out loud as he typed in the reply to his own D-Terminal. "I took a train through here to Shinjuku for an interview once."

The reply on the D-Terminal was fast.

"Hey, they're only two streets east over," Yolei said brightly, reading the other's location and glancing at the map she had pulled up on the screen. "Let's go!"

They set off in a hurry and had barely turned the corner before smacking into T.K., Kari and Cody, all of whom were running as if their lives depended on it.

And going by the sight of the enraged Tuskmon charging behind them, flashing a gaping red mouth and rows of sharp, elongated teeth, it did.

There wasn't even time to panic before the ground was falling away beneath their feet as enormous talons carefully cupped themselves around the children and lifted them up safely away. Red and gold wings beat in broad strokes as Garudamon sliced through the air at a swift pace, not slowing until they had arrived at the intended destination where they were deposited onto a concrete surface.

"T.K., everyone, are you alright?" Matt's voice called out.

"We're on top of a _roof?"_ Davis voiced incredulously taking in his surroundings.

"Believe me, it's a lot safer up here than it is down there," Izzy said issuing to the war-ruined city streets below.

"Don't worry, Garudamon and MegaKabuteriemon are shielding us," Sora said pointing to the humongous bird and beetle Digimon hovering in the air above.

It stung. That he had missed such a glaring oversight. That he hadn't thought of keeping one of the Digimon close as a bodyguard for their fragile, human partners. One of them could have gotten seriously hurt.

Like Taichi-sempai that Christmas Even night…

oOo

"… _when they d-die…_ _humans aren't reborn at Primary Village!"_

oOo

A conversation had started up around him, but Davis only managed to catch snatches of what was said. He didn't feel a part of the group at the moment. He stood there in the midst of it all and let their words roll off him like waves crashing on a rock.

"Considering that none of our partners have de-digivolved, I'm assuming there aren't any Control Spires nearby," Joe said.

"The news report earlier seemed to imply that the Digimon came here from Mt. Fuji though, so we shouldn't forget to check that out later. There might be a Control Spire or a rogue portal at the very least up there," Izzy said.

Izzy, who hadn't taken his laptop out from the carrier bag strapped to his back; wasn't bothering to boot it up and open a gateway back to the Digital World.

"What are you waiting for?" Yolei asked looking a bit unnerved by his lack of action and by the older Digidestined's grim expressions.

"These _are_ real Digimon," Kari put in worriedly. "I mean, we _did _run into Arukeniemon before so some of them might be Control Spires, but I don't think all of them are."

"They're not here to help us send them back," Ken spoke up suddenly, his tone quite somber as he grasped the situation they found themselves in. "They're here to help us get rid of them."

"Get… rid… of," Yolei echoed slowly as the full implication of what that meant sunk into her brain. Her face turned white as she finally connected the dots. "You can't!"

"We could always destroy one of their limbs and see if they have any obsidian-coloring underneath if that would ease your discomfort, however that won't change our decision even if they do turn out to be real," Matt informed her coolly.

"Matt!" T.K. cried.

"Don't joke about something like that!" Yolei exclaimed.

"I wasn't joking," Matt said humorlessly, his blue eyes ice-cold.

"So… so cruel," Yolei breathed backing up a few paces.

"Think what you want. This isn't the time to hesitate or show weakness," Matt said turning his back to her.

"Yolei," Joe spoke up quietly. "What do you think would happen if we pull those Digimon into the computer, send them back to the Digital World, and they turn out to be Control Spires after all?"

"And whether real or not, they'd continue on their rampage wrecking things and judging by the state of the Digital World last time I was there, I don't think it can handle much more destruction," Izzy finished.

"So you're just going to hurt them anyway even if they turn out to be harmless?" Yolei sounded caught halfway between furious and horrified.

"Does _that _look harmless to you?" Matt proclaimed loudly pointing down below to a Monochromon smashing through the side of a building. "There might even still be innocent civilians here too. I'll bet not everyone got evacuated in time. And what will they do once they've finished wrecking this city to the ground? Carry on to the next one! I know it's hard for you to grasp the concept, but you have to realize that some Digimon exist purely to inflict pain and suffering on others, and I'm not just talking about Control Spire Digimon!"

Yolei swallowed back what sounded like a choked sob to Davis' ears as she shook her head rapidly.

"Yolei, remember how Golemon was about to break the dam and flood YukimiBotamon's village?" Mimi asked stepping forward and putting her arms around the distraught girl. "We had to stop him just like we have to stop these Digimon here from tearing apart this city."

"But… but… Golemon wasn't a real Digimon!" Yolei burst out.

"Oh, just forget it. Trying to make her see sense is useless and we're going in circles with this entire conversation! She doesn't understand!" Matt all but exploded.

"You can't just destroy them so carelessly!" Yolei screamed breaking free of Mimi's embrace and whirling around to face Davis desperately. _"Don't let them do this!"_

It should have been hilarious that she was seeking his help. Yolei, who always scorned or mocked anything he did or said; who never had really respected him as a person, but oddly enough had as leader and teammate, even if she had done so grudgingly with verbal jabs every now and then. It was almost laughable that she thought he had any idea of halting the Digimon's mad rampage without hurting them.

Because he didn't.

Not one spark of inspiration came to mind.

"Taichi-sempai was right," he murmured hollowly.

oOo

"_You've got _nothing _on me. You think you know the Digital World pretty well now?_ _You haven't been through half the experiences that I—we all have shared!"_

oOo

He closed the hand that was clutching the goggles around them tightly.

"We don't understand, do we?" he repeated.

oOo

"_With you it's nothing but school, save the day, go home, save the night, hang out, go to sleep, rewind! You wouldn't have lasted one day in the Digital World we were thrown into!"_

oOo

Why did T.K. sometimes cry out fitfully in his sleep when they spent the night in the Digital World? Why did Kari's face seem to age beyond her years whenever she saw a wounded Digimon? Were they reminded of past experiences that ended tragically for them? Like the incident with Wizardmon? There were probably a number of more situations the older Digidestined had been in that the newest members hadn't been told about. Why? Because the others hadn't wanted to ruin their innocent child's-eye view of the Digital World and spoil its enticing beauty with the horrors they had encountered?

oOo

"_So what makes you so special? What is it about you that made the Digital Sovereigns decide we weren't good enough to save the world a second time?"_

oOo

"Because they made a mistake," Davis whispered to the goggles. "That's what I am: one big error."

It was selfish, he knew, to be caught up in these emotions. That he should be focused more on the battle raging around them and trying to think up a solution that everyone would agree on and that would benefit the Digimon, but it was hard to ignore the lump at the back of his throat growing larger every second like had swallowed a cactus; hard to ignore the dim ache in his chest and something prickling at the corners of his eyes. He hadn't felt this miserable since those lonely days after his family had moved, before he joined the soccer club.

A faint roar sounded somewhere in the distance and at first Davis' confused state of mind shoved it aside as one of the many Digimon in the city, but then it continued growing louder as it got closer and he realized it was more mechanical than beast… and that he had heard this sound many times before.

But what on earth would the source of that sound be doing here of all places? No, it had to something else, right?

It was like something out of dream when he saw the light blue coloring of the moped crest over the top of the hill and begin its descent down the road that led directly in front of the building there were on top of.

The only thing that made it all real for him—that he wasn't hallucinating some mirage from the depths of his mind—was the fact that his digivice started beeping shrilly announcing the arrival of another Digidestined apart from the ones already gathered behind him, their own digivices and D-3s going off in perfectly synched unison.

He couldn't see the two passenger's faces—they both had helmets on, but even ten stories up, Davis recognized the clothing: the long, dark blue coat with orange paw prints on the back… the brown hooded parka with white fur trimming…

His breath caught in his throat, stopping the names he wanted so very badly to shout out. He didn't know why now of all times, he had suddenly lost his sense of speech. Maybe because his mind felt like it was trapped in a whirlwind—everything was happening too fast; the world was a giant, jumbled mess turned upside-down.

Then the person in the blue coat ripped off his helmet, wild, brown hair spilling free as he did, and his face was turned upward towards the top of the building where Garudamon and MegaKabuteriemon stood guard.

He was shouting something. Davis was too far up to make out the words. They didn't carry far enough, but that didn't matter. All that mattered right then was the presence of the person below him and the fact that he had cared enough to come. That meant everything.

Then a mighty spiral of wind blew through the sky and ripped away the cold claws holding his voice captive and Davis was leaning so far over the edge of the building he felt hands on his clothes keeping him from falling, and he was screaming, "TAICHI-SEMPAI! _TAICHI-SEMPAI!"_ and waving the goggles high above his head like a raving madman.

The distance between them was too great. It was difficult to make out his sempai's facial features, but when his arm shot out giving him either a thumbs up or 'V' for victory sign, Davis knew that he had understood.

That both their messages had been the same.

_I still believe in you._

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** Okay, wow, back from an unintended three-month hiatus. Um, Happy Valentine's Day?^^;; I really don't know what to say other than I am _so sorry, _and no I didn't have Writer's Block, I was just was procrastinating writing the battle scene (and still am, obviously). I actually had planned to end this on a cliff-hanger, but then I thought "Nah, why torture the poor readers even more?" Besides, it won't be as traumatic—er, I mean _dramatic_—from Davis' perspective, kekekeke!

How'd you enjoy this chapter anyway? Too flashback-ish? I dunno. I just wanted to share the backstory in my mind of how Tai and Davis met. I mean, we got completely deprived of that in the show. It helps you realize how much Tai's words would have hurt Davis. You know, re-watching 02 in whatever language, now years later, has made me see that Davis doesn't trust people easily. He's friendly with them (like when he first met T.K. and Ken at the soccer game), however once they betray him (omg, T.K. likes Kari! Omg, Ken's the Digimon Emperor), it takes a long time to earn his respect. And then, when he does become your friend, Davis does it full-heartedly. I think that's why a lot of people (Digimon fans) like him. Personally, I think he's the most popular out of all the Digimon Seasons' leaders (including Tai—pets hair—don't worry, hun, you'll always be my fav).

Fun Facts: I was not in anyway influenced by Inazuma Eleven when writing this chapter. *crickets chirp* Okay, that's a blatant lie! I love that show sooo much that if I had watched it earlier as a kid, I think I would have joined my school's soccer team and I hated sports when I was younger! XD Also, I stumbled across Inazuma Eleven GO (IE's sequel) before Inazuma Eleven and lemme tell you, it was totally Tenma and not Endou that sold me into watching the entire series! Yes, it was his hair, I shamelessly admit. I love anime guys with fluffy brown-spiked hair! *starts spewing out names like a broken freight train* Sena from Eyeshield 21, Daisuke from DNAngel, Mihashi from Ookiku Furikabutte—okay, I'll shut up now… Mikoto from Over Drive (whispers) watch Over Drive's OP! I watched the series because of the awesome song! *w* Other songs I listened to while writing this: Inazuma Eleven and Inazuma Eleven Go OSTs. Had a blast! Favorite song of all in IE-verse? "Maji de Kansha". Good song to listen towards the end of the chapter.

Right then, epic battle you all have been waiting for since November *cringes and ducks readers stones* will be next! Along with a few surprises I can't even hint about, muwah! X3 I'll try not to be so long with it this time!

P.S. Should I change the second category of this fic from Humor to Action/Adventure? I mean, obviously, the action has overwhelmed the humor since ch. 11 now...

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^ If you have any questions feel free to voice them and I will answer as best as possible without giving away any plot.


	23. Jump Then Fall

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 22 Jump Then Fall**

The remainder of the moped ride took place in relative silence. Once Jun had established the fact that Tai could only focus on one thing at a time and that putting strain on his attention span was potentially hazardous when he had control of their transportation, she made it clear that she valued their lives over deriving pleasure from silly teenage teasing.

Plus, Tai had to admit that the weight of her head resting against his shoulder from behind wasn't a bad alternative. The warm, fuzzy tingles it sent shooting throughout his body were like a second layering of armor against the cold brunt of the wind rushing past them as the moped plowed steadfastly along.

Then, just when Tai was beginning to think that after they dealt with whatever they had to at Fujiyoshida City, that he might really be able to fully enjoy the benefits of what having a girlfriend entailed, Jun had to find her voice again and blow everything to hell.

"_I like you too!"_ she shrieked suddenly jerking her head up from his shoulder and tightening her hold around his stomach.

Yet once more, the moped swerved every which way on the road as Tai's grip on the handlebars went slack from shock.

"_W-w-what?" _he sputtered feeling as if he had just been landed a stunning blow between the eyes. Quickly, regaining momentum over his nerves, he clutched the handlebars like a lifeline to reality.

"Don't act like you didn't hear me!" Jun yelled, burying her face in the back of his coat.

"No, I heard you, the problem is I don't think I understand what you meant by it!" Tai shouted in defense.

"Well what does it usually mean when a girl tells a guy she likes him? You don't have to be a genius to figure that out!" Jun exclaimed heatedly, her voice muffled into the material of his coat.

"It's just… just…" Tai said floundering for the right words. "I mean, we're going out so I thought that part was a given, you know?"

"_Men,"_ he heard Jun mumble disgustedly as she lifted her face finally from his coat. "Listen up, brainiac, a relationship is a mutual and equal agreement between two parties! We have to be honest with each other. Do you get what I'm saying?"

"You… _didn't _like me before?" Tai tried feeling quite out of the loop and very confused.

A hand came smacking into the back of his head. Luckily, his helmet softened most of the impact.

"How on earth did you ever pass your exams to get into high school?" Jun cried exasperated. "It isn't fair, alright? You already confessed as to what you liked about me so now it's my turn to tell you what I admire in you!"

Oh, Tai realized. That day in the park when he had listed out all the things Jun did that…

"No, no, it's fine!" Tai yelped anxiously. "You don't have to tell me! Really!"

"I like your goofy, gigantic, Saint Seiyan hair and your unhealthy obsession with tsukimi udon! I like how you can be so immature and childish at times and yet so serious and focused at others!"

"_What?"_

"I like how you try to act so cool all the time and yet fail so utterly hard at it!"

"Okay, you can stop anytime now!"

"And I love how adorably you blush when you're about to kiss me and how unbelievably good you turn out to be even though you're basically clueless at it!"

"Are you _done?"_ Tai asked feeling his face burn all the way to the tips of his ears.

"I've got tons more if you want!" Jun chirped happily, hugging him around the middle.

"No thank you," Tai passed on the offer before realizing… "Hey, just now, you said _'love'_."

For a moment he heard nothing but the wind rushing past, and then Jun's voice piped up in a small and nervous fashion, "No, I didn't."

"Yes, yes, you did!" Tai laughed, feeling light-headed and giddy all of a sudden. "You said _'love'_!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"I did not, you bushy-haired, hard-of-hearing, udon face-stuffer!" Jun denied vehemently.

"Did you hear what she said, Japan? _She loves me!"_ Tai shouted at the top of his lungs, flinging his arms up into the air. "SHE LOVES ME!"

"_Omigawd, you're going to get us killed, Romeo!"_ Jun shrieked, shooting out her hands from around his waist to grasp the empty handlebars in a desperate attempt to steer the moped straight.

There was a bright warmth kindling in his chest. The late afternoon sun was casting an orange glow upon everything it touched and for a moment, the world seemed to shine and twirl much like it had that time he had drunk too much sake one New Year's Eve at the shrine festival.

"Ah," Tai said quietly bringing his hands back down and placing them around Jun's which were still gripping the handlebars and squeezed gently. "I love you too."

"Idiot," Jun said in a barely-audible murmur as her voice as her head dropped against his shoulder again.

"Yeah, I guess I can be sometimes," Tai admitted feeling far too happy for a slight insult like that to upset him.

"Not you—_me,"_ Jun said embarrassment coloring her voice. "I should have realized sooner: how I really felt about you when Momoe asked me if I was so keen on Matt, then why did I spend so much, practically, _all_ of my time with you. I told her you were only my co-conspirator in crime, and she laughed and called me crazy."

"So you _did_ like me before…" Tai trailed off feeling his heart beat unnaturally fast.

Jun had liked him before he had caught her off-guard with an abrupt confession at the hospital, before Matt had rejected her. It was nice to know, know that she hadn't just settled with him for convenience's sake.

"I think… I think it might have started that night we went out to the arcade," Jun admitted. "At least I do know that any guy willing to save a girl he despises or so claims he does from a knife-swinging _yakuza-_wannabe—well, my opinion of him goes up. How about you?"

"Hmmm… probably the time you first called me on the phone at home and said I was good-looking underneath all my flaws."

"What? You'd fall for the first girl who calls you attractive? _Baka!"_

"Hey, I thought we were supposed to be honest with each other in this relationship!"

"Honest not shallow!" Jun had grabbed hold of his cheeks and was pinching them mercilessly. Tai imagined this was how poor Poromon felt every time Yolei stretched his face like silly putty.

"Shtop it! You'll wuin mah bootiful faysh!" Tai protested as best he could.

"Well, that _is _true," Jun relented surprisingly, letting go of her hold on him. "I can't be seen with any guy unless he will make other girls jealous as hell of me after all."

"Who's shallow now?" Tai smirked, his cheeks smarting. He couldn't help but feel highly flattered by that statement though.

"Aiyah, look at how close we are!" Jun yelped as they passed the five-mile marker to Fujiyoshida City. "I haven't even turned the camcorder on yet!"

Tai felt her squirm behind him and then the lens face jutted out over his right shoulder.

"Hello, ladies and gentlemen!" Jun began speaking enthusiastically. "This is Jun Motomiya signing on for her first action news report! I am en route to Fujiyoshida City attempting to bring you live footage of the Digimon that have appeared there suddenly—"

"I don't think you should call them 'Digimon' yet," Tai butted in. "The public still doesn't understand what these monsters are. We should wait until a better opportunity presents itself to explain what they are."

"Point taken, but no more interruptions," Jun said starting anew. "Remember the reporter is the Hermes of the media! Relaying news and messages people wouldn't be able to survive without! That's right! With this camcorder, I am the public's winged goddess! _En Route! Take Two!"_

"Don't hire her, whoever's watching!" Tai shouted. "She's crazy and she'll have usurped your position right from under your nose in less than a week!"

"Pay no attention to the Saiyan behind the handlebars! He's prone to following through on suicidal impulses at a moment's notice courtesy of his Foolish Hero Complex!"

"Says the person with either the bi-polar or multiple personality disorder—I haven't decided which yet!"

"Just for that, kissing is off-limits for a week!"

"_Y-you can't do that!"_

"Hahahahahahahahaha!" Jun laughed evilly. "Call me your Aphrodite! Your Venus! I might reconsider!"

"Never! If you're any ancient goddess reincarnated, it's _Eris!"_

"Goddess of chaos!" Jun crowed gleefully. "It shall be my media spotlight name! All will bow down and recognize the glorious wonder that is me!"

They had come to a top of a hill now and on the other side, Fujiyoshida City finally revealed itself in a sprawling mass of skyscrapers and smoke. Tai's heart leapt into his throat at the sight. Kari was down there. And Davis. All of his friends. What could he do for them really?

"Onward! Onward!" Jun urged, tugging insistently on the back of his coat and Tai realized he had slowed down the moped to a snail's crawl.

He shook his head in an effort to dispel the creeping doubts. This was no time for second-guessing his actions. He had to believe in himself as Jun so obviously did. Twisting the handlebars, he sped up the moped's pace, gaining speed as they went downhill.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Jun shrieked excitedly as she continued their dramatic account to the camcorder. "Boldly, the two heroes rushed forth into the unknown. Into the raging throes of battle! Caring not for certain death!"

"Your motivational speech could use a little revising!" Tai snapped, his left eyebrow going off into involuntary twitching spasms.

They hit level ground and sped ever steadily towards the city, speeding past the news van camped just outside the entrance which the woman reporter and cameraman had fled to earlier on tv.

"_You yellow-livered chickens!"_ Jun screamed, shaking her fist at their gaping faces pressed against the news vans' windows as they watched the moped zoom by.

"I could use an extra set of eyes here! Keep a sharp look out," Tai warned her as they entered the city. "We could get attacked from any side at any moment. We have to find everyone else first and it's not going to be easy."

"Hey, lookit!" Jun exclaimed pointed just ahead. "Recognize them?"

Tai glanced up following her finger to see MegaKabuteriemon and Garudamon stationed above the rooftop of a ten-story high building.

"Forget Eris! You're my Lady of Luck!" Tai whooped as he steered the moped that direction.

"So the giant beetle and turkey are on our side?" Jun asked as she tilted the camcorder up and zoomed in to get a better view.

"I don't think Sora would appreciate you calling her partner that," Tai snickered at her description. "And I think Garudamon's more of a hawk or an eagle. Or a gryphon even."

"Oh, is that Psycho Sora's partner?" Jun said loftily. "I don't feel too bad on the miscall then."

"Are you still mad at Sora for stealing Matt from you?" Tai couldn't help asking.

"Tch, what on earth would I have to be angry at her for? I should be thanking her! Look at the completely awesome guy I've got that she didn't even give a chance!" Jun shrieked slinging her free arm around his chest in a hug and Tai felt as if his heart would explode from happiness.

Laughing, he ripped off his helmet and turned his face up towards the small figures he could see standing on top of the building, centering his gaze on a spiky-haired one at the forefront.

"Davis!" he shouted, accelerating the moped's speed. "Davis! You were right! We're a team! All of us! We'll beat this together! _Davis! I still believe in you!"_

His friends were probably too far up to for them to hear him. But they had very clearly spotted him going by the way the familiar spiky-haired figure was jumping up and down and waving a hand in the air.

"Well, it looks like the little twerp sure is excited to see you," Jun said.

Something in the hand Davis was waving glistened suddenly and a grin slid across Tai's face as he realized what it was.

Davis understood.

He raised a hand in return giving the boy a 'V' for victory sign even though it probably wasn't visible from this distance.

The happy feeling in him died down when he realized that…

"Hey, you know what slipped your mind when you were giving me your 'oh-it's-so-easy-to-operate' tutorial?" Tai exclaimed to Jun, gripping the handlebars tightly. _"How to stop this thing!"_

"I did not! I very distinctly remember telling you 'front brake on the right, rear brake on the left'!"

"So what if I want _both_ ends to stop?"

"Hold both the brakes together, smart alec! _Ah, not yet_—you need to slow us down first or we'll crash!"

And then the onyx and grey-colored bulk that was Monochromon barreled into the path from a side street. Swiveling its frilled, armored head their direction, its attention drawn to the roaring purr of the moped—no doubt seeing it as some sort of adversary—it charged.

"Oh, damn!" Tai swore, trying to turn the moped around. "Why is it always Monochromon? _Why?"_

"Steer left! Steer left!" Jun screeched the command as he fought with the handlebars that were not guiding the wheels where he wanted them to go. "To turn right, steer left!"

"That's sort of backwards, isn't it?" Tai yelled following her instructions and feeling a rush of relief as the moped finally turned around and went in the opposite direction of the Digimon hot on their tail.

"I don't make the rules! Take it up with the company that creates these things! Ah, watch out!" Jun screamed as a green-skinned dinosaur with black-and-red striped horns growing out of its back crashed through a building in front of them.

Tuskmon belted out an enraged bellow at the sight of them and stomped heavily towards them, teeth gaping widely.

"Turn us around! Turn us around!" Jun cried, clutching at his arm.

"Are you kidding? There's one on the other end!" Tai shouted as Monochromon made sure his presence was not forgotten with another loud roar.

"_Caught between a rock and two sets of teeth,"_ he remembered Matt saying once in a similar encounter during their first stay in the Digital World.

"Hold on! I'm gonna go for it!" Tai declared jamming his helmet back on and accelerating abruptly.

"_Whaaaat?"_

"Trust me!"

"Nobly, the two heroes rode forth on their mechanical war-beast!" Jun proclaimed speaking to her camcorder again. "Straight into the ivory fangs that promised terrible pain and suffering! Unafraid, they rushed to embrace their tragic fate—"

"Does this thing have brights?" Tai asked, interrupting her taped eulogy.

"Ooooh!" Jun drawled out, catching onto his intention exactly. "You mean _these?" _She shrieked, flicking a switch on the controls.

Tuskmon reared back his head at the sudden, blinding bright lights that flashed painfully before his eyes and roared his anger to the skies. Swerving between his legs, the moped shot out from underneath the Digimon, its riders yelling their victory excitedly.

"Yeah, alright!" Tai shouted, chancing a glance behind him. Monochromon had apparently charged right into Tuskmon's side and so now both Digimon were preoccupied with each other instead. "Who's bad? I'm bad—_whoa!"_

The moped jerked bumpily as it rode over something crunchy. There was a loud popping sound followed by a steady hiss of air escaping from the tires. Then the moped's front end began to sag, causing sparks to fly as the metal rim was dragged against the pavement.

"I think we might have hit something," Tai said almost calmly.

"Put the brakes on or we're going to crash!" Jun ordered frantically.

Tai clamped down on both handlebars, but without tires it didn't seem to be working. He couldn't even switch directions anymore. The moped ploughed forward at a speed too dangerous for them to throw themselves off and all they could do was hold on for dear life and hope that they would simply coast to a stop as it lost momentum.

It probably would have.

If someone hadn't decided to abandon their car in the middle of the street in the earlier evacuation.

"Listen carefully!" Tai shouted grabbing Jun by the hand suddenly. "Right before this hits, we're going to jump over it!"

"Are you serious?" Jun cried. "Do you realize how small a percentage we'll actually have in succeeding?"

"I'd bet on that small percentage over dying any day!"

"_Fine!"_

The final countdown until impact started in Tai's mind. Ten… nine… eight… seven… six… five… four… three… two.. one…

"Now!" Tai yelled squeezing Jun's hand and together they jumped up into the air as the moped crashed into the side of the car, their feet landing on top of the car's roof for a split second before they leaped clear.

They hit the concrete hard, rolling over a couple of times before coming to a complete stop. Laying still for a couple of moments to regain his breath, Tai flexed his muscles cautiously. Good. He could still move them. Nothing was broken. He only hoped he hadn't jarred his poor, abused spinal cord into any further damage.

"Jun, are you alright?" he asked, tugging on the girl's hand that was still clasped in his.

"I… think so," came the groggy reply as she sat up slowly, her free hand feeling for the camcorder hanging from its strap around her neck. "Yep, I'm good!"

Tai resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Hurry then!" he said, hauling her to feet.

Jun emitted a strangled cry of pain before falling down on both knees.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Tai asked concerned kneeling beside her.

"My ankle, darn it! I think I twisted it!" Jun exclaimed disgusted at herself.

"Can you put your weight on it a little and lean on me? We don't know if that impact is going to cause the car to explode or not," Tai said casting wary eyes at what remained of the smoking moped jutting out of the car's bashed in driver's side-door.

"It's not… too bad, I guess," Jun said, wincing only slightly as she loped one arm around Tai's neck and tested her right ankle as he helped her stand.

"Let's go," Tai said starting to walk as swiftly as possible as Jun's injured allowed.

"You'd think your beetle and turkey friends would have helped us out by now," Jun sniffed as she limped along.

"I think they're busy at the moment," Tai said turning his eyes up to see Garudamon and MegaKabuteriemon locked in combat with a Megadramon and Gigadramon in the sky above, both clearly trying to block any of their attacks aimed at their partners on the roof.

"So how are we supposed to get up there now?" Jun asked.

A sound interrupted his thought process as he tried to work up a solution. A sound he had not heard in over five years, but a very familiar and haunting one nevertheless.

"_Huh-huh-huh!"_

"I know that sound," Tai gulped, feeling his stomach sink.

It was growing closer.

"HUH-HUH-HUH!"

"That is a_ bad_ sound!" he shouted, pulling Jun along, trying to lead them in the direction opposite where it was coming from.

Only it seemed to be coming from everywhere, echoing through the streets, bouncing off buildings and playing tricks on his ears so he wasn't certain which way was safe to turn.

Then it was too late and they were slowly being surrounded by a small army of four Tankmon who rolled forth, teeth stretching back into sinister smiles as they lowered their gun-barrels at their targets and took aim.

Tai tore off his helmet and chucked it with all his might at the nearest one. It didn't harm the Digimon in any way whatsoever, but it did manage to knock its nozzle sideways so that it misfired and hit the Tankmon next to it.

That attack _did _do damage, fortunately for Tai and Jun, and quite _un_fortunately for the Tankmon who exploded like a piñata that had been ripped wide open into tiny pieces of digital data.

It also made the other two Tankmon pause and switch their gun-barrels' aim from the two humans over to their comrade who was gaping in bewilderment at what just happened.

"Huh-huh_-huh!" _the Tankmon shook its cannon-nozzle in defense of itself.

"Begin walking away… slowly," Tai whispered in Jun's ear while the Tankmon were distracted.

Inch by agonizing inch, they eased away from the Digimon, Jun's breathing becoming more labored with every step. Tai could tell her ankle was really hurting now. They made it as far as fifteen feet away, before Jun's ankle collapsed under her and she buckled forward with a small yelp.

Tai caught her before she hit the ground, but her cry had brought the Tankmon's attention back to them.

"Huh-huh-huh! _HUH-HUH-HUH!"_

"I think they've figured it out," Tai said as the Digimon rolled angrily towards them, readying their gun-barrels again.

"I'm s-sorry," Jun whimpered, blinking back tears of pain. Her right leg was quivering with the strenuous effort to keep standing.

Tai's eyes darted about their surroundings wildly, looking for any way out. Their backs were to the wall of a building with the three Tankmon spread out as they advanced, closing off any escape route.

His foot something as they backed away from the oncoming enemy. He looked down to see a thick, metal pipe lying amongst all the rubble and debris. Snatching it up, he gripped it tightly, his mind spinning out a half-formed idea.

"Jun, let go of my arm," he said.

"What?" the girl said, noticing the pipe in his other hand. Her grip on him grew even more firm. "Y-you're going to do something stupid, aren't you?"

"Jun—"

"_NO!"_ she screamed, throwing herself into his chest and wrapping both arms around him so that he couldn't move without taking her with him.

"Jun, let go," he tried to push her away but she just clung more tightly. "Please. I can hold them off for a little bit and you can run—"

"_I can't run and you know it!"_

"You could still hide somewhere they can't find you. Just let me protect you!"

"I really _hate_ that Foolish Hero Complex of yours!" Jun exclaimed, never letting go of her grip on him. "You're going to get hurt! And it'll be my fault! _AGAIN!"_

The girl buried her face into his shoulder and he felt dampness seep into the fabric of his coat; felt the tiny trembles of her body pressed against his…

"HUH-HUH-HUH!"

"_Go away, you little cretins!" _Jun shrieked, lifting her face up that was drenched in tears and whirling around. Yanking off her own helmet, she hurled it at them without even taking proper aim.

The Tankmon appeared to remember the helmet as they halted their march forward to lock their sight on the object hurtling through the air. They also seemed to interpret helmet as being an enemy projectile missile by the manner all three of them fired their Hyper Cannon attack at it.

"Down!" Tai shouted, throwing them both sideways.

The Hyper Cannon tore through the helmet as if someone had lit a blowtorch to it and the attack blasted into the side of the building behind them. There was a loud, groaning as if the building were _alive,_ then the wall began falling down in gigantic, concrete slabs around them.

Jun kept trying to get up, but Tai held her down. Her ankle couldn't support her weight, so they wouldn't be able to outrun this. All they could do was remain in the same spot and hope the fifty-fifty percent odds they had of surviving this tipped in their favor. He pulled her to his chest and shut his eyes tightly. The sound of the wall crashing all around was deafening. Was this how it was going to end? Getting crushed by a piece of concrete? How lack-luster and un-heroic. He hadn't even had a chance to make amends with his friends or Agumon yet. It wasn't fair!

Then suddenly, he realized he could no longer hear the sound of the wall smashing into pieces. In fact, there was no sound at all except for… was that wind whistling in his ears? Was it over? Had the building finished demolishing or had they died and hadn't realized it yet? But wasn't the afterlife supposed to be pain-free? He could still the bruises on his knees and the aches in his arms. Slowly, he cracked open his eyes to catch his first glimpse of what heaven looked like.

And found himself staring into the broad, chrome-coloring of a steel chest-plate. Onyx-armored claws had encased themselves around his body like twin iron shields. Wind swept up in a mighty gale, rippling through Tai's clothes and hair making him take into account that he was airborne. The same wind that was ruffling the yellow mane of hair sticking out of his rescuer's silver horned helmet.

"Your Agumon puts up a good argument," a voice rumbled deeply as a pair of familiar golden eyes bored into his own. "In fact, it is hard to get a word in edge-wise at all."

"Y-yeah," Tai stuttered, struggling to make sense of the entire situation. "He can be very annoying like t-that. You should tell him to s-shut up sometimes."

"I'll keep that in mind," BlackWarGreymon said solemnly as he soared through the sky.

BlackWarGreymon. He was being carried like an infant in BlackWarGreymon's arms. Him and Jun both. Their savior was none other than _BlackFreakingWarGreymon._

What the hell, man? _What. The. Hell?_

"Please tell me this guy is on our side," Jun squeaked as she gawked marble-sized eyes at the Digimon whose arms she had found herself in.

"I… I'm not sure exactly," Tai admitted glancing at BlackWarGreymon, but he neither confirmed nor refuted anything.

A muffled whimper made him look over to see Jun struggling quite valiantly not to cry as she balled her hands into first and rubbed them harshly into her eyes to hold back tears.

"Jun, it's alright," Tai said in an attempt to calm her down. With their lives literally in BlackWarGreymon's hands he couldn't really be sure, but he figured the Mega hadn't saved them both just to kill them himself… unless he _had. _Oh, crap! "Jun don't be afraid. There's absolutely no reason to panic, you hear me? No reason at all! Am I panicking? I think not, hahahaha!"

"I… I…" Jun gasped out, drawing in enormous breaths of air into her heaving chest. "I DROPPED THE CAMERA!"

Tai gaped at her. That was why she was so upset? Was she _serious?_

"AUGH, HOW COULD I BE SO STUPID, STUPID, _STUPID?"_ the girl screamed, beating her head in with her fists furiously.

It was Jun. Why should he still be surprised at anything she did?

"Hold on tight," BlackWarGreymon said all of a sudden as he tensed his arms and drew them back as if he was preparing to throw them.

"He's joking!" Jun yelped as she snapped out of her tantrum and wound her arms around Tai tightly.

"I don't think he has a funny bone," Tai choked out wrapping his arms around her in return and clutching her equally as fierce.

"Catch," was all the warning BlackWarGreymon gave before he pitched the two humans through the air like a human would do with a baseball.

For an instant, it felt like they were flying, on their own, unaided. For an instant, it was as if they had been granted the gift of flight. Then gravity stretched out and snagged them firmly by the ankles dragging them down through empty space.

Jun was screaming. Loudly and shrilly and right in his ear with enough volume to make him go deaf, but since he probably wouldn't live to find out, Tai brushed this unimportant matter aside, dropped his manly pride and screamed right along with her.

Once again, there was no harsh impact, only a soft, sinking sensation as he and Jun were ensnared in the shimmering coils of Nefertimon and Pegasusmon's Golden Noose and carried to safety on the rooftop where the rest of the Digidestined waited.

The net set them gently down on the roof's surface, the Golden Noose dissolving around them into twinkling specs of gold as it did. Tai sat there a bit stunned by everything that had just occurred then turned his head towards Jun who was puffing out her bottom lip in a childish pout as she sulked over her lost camera. Maybe he should remind her that her moped was totaled too just to see what her reaction would be.

That's when he started laughing madly.

A group of shadows fell over him. Raising his head, he looked up to see the rest of the Digidestined who had gathered around a few feet away. They were all staring at him with startled, slightly apprehensive expressions, no doubt remembering quite vividly the aftermath of the last time he had laughed in a manner like this.

"G-give me… a m-minute," Tai gasped, clutching his ribs and struggling say something coherent. "I-it's the h-high alt-titude… I _swear_ I'm n-not going ps-psycho again!"

Pushing himself upright, he finally managed to swallow back the laughter that threatened to overflow from his throat. Standing on his feet, his legs still a bit wobbly from all their running, he waited a couple of seconds to sweep the dizziness from his mind. Then bending his waist in half, he bowed in their direction solemnly.

"I. Am. So. _Sorry,"_ he said punctuating every word. "I. Am. The. Biggest. Jerk. _Ever." _

He didn't dare lift his face up from where he had a pretty good view of the roof's concrete surface. He couldn't bear to see friends' expressions if they had rejected his apology, and he wouldn't blame them if he did.

A hand came down on the top of his head lightly in a chopping motion suddenly.

"That's true," Matt's voice said above his head. "You_ are_ a jerk."

Tai raised his face up cautiously. Matt was smiling fondly at him.

"But you're _our _jerk," he finished.

"It's common logic," Izzy said, stepping up beside him. "Statistics show that there's one in every circle of friends."

"You guys…" Tai trailed off looking into the smiling faces of his friends, feeling their forgiveness wash over him and getting choked up.

"Taichi-sempai," someone said and spiky-haired figure stepped forward.

Tai locked eyes with him, feeling his heart clench within his chest. "Davis," he started, "What I said before… I shouldn't have… I didn't mean to…"

"It's alright, Taichi-sempai," Davis cut him off abruptly with a broad grin that stretched from ear to ear. "I never should have doubted you for a second! Things will look bad and you still pull through, because that's who you are! Taichi-sempai," He pounded his right hand to his chest in the manner a roman soldier would salute his commander. The hand that was clutched around the goggles. "I still believe in you!"

"Davis," was all he could get out, since his tongue seemed to have been shocked into silence again and his mind had drawn a blank at what else to say.

"_Taichi-sempai!"_

Then Davis crashed face-first into his chest as he threw himself at him, sending him staggering backwards a couple of paces and wrapped him up in tight embrace. The boy was bawling uncontrollably, accompanied by a lyrical chorus of what sounded like hiccups. Tiny, squeaky ones like the kind kittens made. The kind that made any living soul who heard it want to comfort them. Tai's arms flew around him as he returned the hug. He opened his mouth to say something… and all that came out was a garbled, gurgling mess of broken syllables as waterworks gushed out of his own eyes.

Well, he had already pretty much wrecked his smooth, in-charge image a few days ago when he had snapped. There was no point in trying to hide his emotions. What did he have to lose?

"Wow," Sora's voice came dryly from somewhere behind them. "And I actually thought they both looked so cool for a moment there."

"Yeah," Mimi agreed with a little, disappointed sigh.

"Shut up!" Tai yelled, glaring at them through his tears from over Davis' head. "We're having a very heart-warming, bromantic moment here! Don't ruin it!"

"Oh, don't mind me," Jun spoke up at last from her seat on the roof's surface. "I only just lost my moped—my means of transportation, my way of life, _my freaking R-Cycle_—and my chance at being a world-famous reporter in one blow."

She hadn't got up. She couldn't, Tai realized. Not on that ankle. He shifted his weight towards her subconsciously and Davis pulled back and released him from his hold.

"Go on," the boy said wiping a puffy, runny red-nose on his coat-sleeve as he scowled sourly in Jun's direction. "She needs you more than I do—sempai-stealing, stupid sister."

Tai gave Davis' hair a final, farewell ruffle and walked over to where Jun sat with her right leg sprawled out awkwardly beneath her. Placing one hand under her elbow and the other around her waist, he raised her up carefully.

"What are you doing?" Jun asked sounding uncharacteristically nervous as Tai clasped her hand in his own.

"Introducing you as my girlfriend," Tai said.

"Wait," Jun said. Her hand had started to shake and her face had lost its color. It was almost as if she were… scared. "What if they don't like me?"

"I think you kinda blew that chance when you started stalking Matt and sneak-attacking everyone on 'Fact or Fiction—Brave Hearts'," Tai chuckled.

"You're supposed to build my confidence up whenever I'm vulnerable, not tear it down!" Jun reprimanded him with a scathing glare. Her cheeks were flushed pink again once more and her head was steady now.

"They don't have to like you this very instant. You can work on that later. But they do have to accept you," Tai declared solemnly. "Because you're with me. And I think you're one of the best things that has ever come into my life."

Jun's face had all but turned crimson at his words. But she didn't protest as he entwined their fingers and led them towards his friends, the charm bracelet hanging off his wrist knocking gently against the blue sports headband that was wrapped around her own with every step they took.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **Wahahaha! See? This wait wasn't so long this time! This chapter has to be my favorite so far! It was so easy and fun to write! I had a blast! I swear, if this fic were advertised like on a billboard, it'd be a picture of Jun's moped with the title of the fic plus the words, "Got Moped?" underneath! Or maybe "MOAR moped! I need _moar moped!"_ XD Yes, in case you're wondering, there will be more moped in this story. It's too awesome to just let die like this! Stay tuned! I can't wait to write the next part! You know who's gonna be in it! You know! You know! X3 (I am so switching the second category from humor to action/adventure, sorry).

Fun Facts: Songs that are good to listen to while re-reading the moped scene at the beginning: "Rhythm of Love" by Plain White T's. You can also listen to another version of it by Clara C and Joseph Vincent. They're both awesome! "Hey Juliet" by Lmnt. "I'm A Believer" by Smashmouth. "Stuck Like Glue" by Sugarland. "I Love You" by Avril Lavigne. "Jump Then Fall" by Taylor Swift. "Crash" by the Primitives. "Here In Your Arms" by Hellogoodbye. "All My Best Friends Are Metalheads" by Less Than Jake. (I suppose this is a good time to mention I have a folder on my computer entitled "Junichi" with all these aforementioned, including previous chapters, songs, lol).

P.S. I think the Tankmon's conversation after Tai hit one with his helmet went something like this:

Tankmon #2 and #3: Omigawd, you killed Bob!

Tankmon#1: Nuh-uh!

Tankmon#2 and #3: Uh-huh!

Tankmon#1: NUH-UH!

Tankmon#2 and #3: UH-HUH!

Kekekekeke! XD

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	24. A Tale Of Two WarGreymon

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary: **Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**A/N: **first part of chapter is sort of a series of flashbacks from Agumon's perspective. Warning for slight, graphic, disturbing imagery.

**Ch. 23 A Tale of Two WarGreymon**

Agumon didn't like being angry.

Didn't like being caught up and swept away in a gale storm of twisted, malicious feelings strong enough they almost brought him joy.

Sometimes in the night, Agumon thought he could still hear the Virus whispering its poisoned words through his head.

"_Stupid human. Selfish human. Look at him, he cares only for himself. He doesn't care for you. He doesn't _need _you."_

The nausea would follow soon after these thoughts. A sick, cramping sensation in his stomach and the taste of bile in the back of his throat and he would feel disgust and shame at ever thinking these thoughts.

And the anger would come back ten-fold. Waves of smoldering rage that he struggled to keep contained, because he would hurt the one he loved most if he released them.

The poison always returned, seeping into the lining of his brain, into every pore of his body, coating him in its intoxicating chokehold.

"_Why, why should _you _be the one who suffers when it is _his _fault? He's made you weak. He's made you fall, made you _useless. GET RID OF HIM."

It was like watching a horror movie—like the one he and Tai had watched five years ago—he could see _himself, _only he was not really himself, and his teeth were bared inches away from his sleeping partner's neck and for a split second he looses himself in his already chaotic mental state and wonders what it would be like to take that pale, slender flesh between his jaws and _crunch_ down—feel the bones snap, taste the blood he could _smell…_

"_So fragile. So weak. You humans are pathetic."_

The fear, the horror, the _utter revulsion _at the course of action that had just passed inside his head was so overwhelming, he staggered under the weight of crushing guilt for a few, precious seconds.

It was enough time for the Virus to rise up dark and hungry, threatening to swallow him whole and allow the poison that had been brewing inside to leak out.

"_She won't take you away from me. I won't let her. I promise."_

Unholy glee. All possessive and jealous—MINE, MINE, MINE, MINE!—and for the first time, Agumon wondered if what the Virus was truly angry about and feared the most was being alone, _abandoned…._

The Virus was gone. The poison had been drained from his body and it was Tai who had offered him the cup with the antidote. He had drunk up the words as if he had been dying of thirst in a desert.

"_Agumon, listen to me! I don't know where humans go when they die! I don't know when I'm going to die, alright? But I do know you'll be with me until the end. Because you're my partner! Because you're my friend! Because I love you! Because I'll always love you no matter what happens to either of us!"_

Sometimes in the day, Agumon thought he could hear the faintest whispering in the deep recesses of his mind, feel the slightest stirring of the poison returning underneath his skin.

He thought it best to distance himself from everyone when this occurred. Better isolation than to snap and do something he regretted.

Like his fight with Tai at the skating rink.

"_If I had been able to digivolve, I could have defeated her easily! Whose fault is that? Not mine! I tried, I _tried_, but you _blocked_ me!"_

Even now, the image of his partner's hurt, shocked face burned in his memory like an infected wound.

He had been so angry at that moment. Angry at LadyDevimon making him look like a fool. Angry at himself for not being able to go head to head with her at full strength. Angry at Tai who hadn't been able to help him. Angry because Tai had been _afraid of him._

Afraid of him, and he had every right to be. They hadn't spoken much on the subject of that fateful morning the Virus had reared its ugly head out of the cocoon it had burrowed for itself within Agumon's mind, but the small dinosaur knew. He _knew _Tai remembered the incident quite vividly, knew that a major reason why Tai was so hesitant on allowing him to digivolve any further past Champion level, was that he was frightened of the possibility of what his partner was capable of becoming.

"_You not only don't believe in yourself… you've given up believing in _me."

He had spoken those words half out of frustration and half out of regret, so engulfed in his own misery that he had not once stopped to think about what Tai must have been feeling right then, nor the outcome his words might have pushed into motion.

Not until later that evening after he had only come inside from the balcony after everyone had left and it was quiet. Gabumon had tried to talk him, tried to find out what had him so agitated, but he had pushed him away even going so far as threatening to fire his Pepper Breath at him if he didn't leave him alone. Gabumon, looking both startled and hurt, complied with his wishes. Agumon had remained outside silently brooding under the swiftly fading light of the afternoon sky. By the time stars had begun to dot the horizon, and he felt as if his head had cooled off enough that he wouldn't lash out thoughtlessly at anyone anymore, he slipped back inside.

It was the feeling of _wrong_-ness that washed over him immediately. The apartment was quiet, the lighting dim—it would have seemed restful if the atmosphere hadn't felt so heavy, so strained, so _despairing_ all at once.

"Tai?" Agumon called out albeit tentatively, wondering if his partner had decided to go home without him due to their argument earlier. But no… he was still here close by. He could smell his scent.

He followed his nose to a room that smelled strongly of Izzy, pushed it open and peered inside. "Tai?" he called again softly.

The lights were off in here too and he could barely make out the outline of his partner lying on the bed from the fading sunlight. He approached cautiously, shuffling his fore-claws together in a nervous fashion. Tai still hadn't said anything yet, hadn't even come out to the balcony to look for him. Had he forgotten about him? Was he angry at him? Had he simply fallen asleep?

But as he drew closer, Agumon realized it was more serious than that. Tai's eyes were closed, his face was flushed red and his breathing came in short, shallow intakes. Sweat aligned the boy's forehead and his eyebrows were knitted together as if he were under stress or having a nightmare. This was how humans looked when they were sick, right?

Agumon leaned in closer worriedly. Tai's eyelids fluttered and slid open half an inch. A moan escaped his lips as he saw the dark shape hovering over him and he shrunk backwards into the pillows as his head lolled side to side fretfully.

Agumon realized to his horror that he had been in this position before. His jaws inches away from his partner's throat just like now and, and… _and…_

_And sometimes in the night, Agumon thought he could still hear the Virus whispering its poisoned words through his head. _

He bolted from the room.

"Hey!" Tentomon cried out as he barreled past him in a numb kind of terror. "Where do you think you're going?"

Agumon didn't answer. He just ran: out the door, out of the apartment complex, and into the street.

Not safe. Not safe, not safe, not _safe._ Not to be trusted, Tai knew this. That was why he was afraid of him. That was why he didn't allow him to digivolve. He was dangerous. Even LadyDevimon had recognized the monster within him. He had to go away, _far _away from the people he cared about so he would no longer be a threat.

He looked up not knowing what he was searching for, some sort of sign, an idea of what he should do.

His eyes landed on the enormous mountain in the distance silhouetted against the blues and purples of the twilight sky.

He started off towards it.

oOo

He lost sight of the mountain once the last bit of sunlight had finally vanished and spent the night sleeping behind a dumpster in an alleyway. He set off at the first morning light, stumbling his way through Tokyo's sprawling maze of streets, wondering if he would ever manage to find his way of city, the bottoms of his feet aching with every step and the mountain didn't seem any closer.

Help came in a surprising source.

A white van slowed down in the traffic lane that ran next to the sidewalk, and a man with long, stringy hair poked his head out of the driver's window. "Walking on the streets in broad daylight—that's brave, man."

"E-excuse me?" Agumon said startled.

"You better be glad we found you first instead of the cops or dogcatcher—get in quick," the guy issued as the side door of the van slid open to reveal two women and another man waving at him from inside to show that they meant no harm.

"I… I'm not allowed to take rides from strangers," Agumon said meekly. It had been one of the first rules established by the Digidestined to their partners ever since the Digimon had come to the real world five years ago. Actually, they weren't supposed to talk to strangers either, but it was too late for that now.

"Hey, I hear you, man. It's a sick, evil world that we're living in now that needs to be restructured. That's why you alien-dudes have started invading right?" the man asked enthusiastically.

"Ummm," Agumon stumbled at a loss of what to say. This human seemed to think he was an alien, however, unlike the humans that day at the skating rink, he actually appeared to be excited and happy about his wrong assumption.

"It's cool with us, you know," the man continued to chatter amiably. "You aliens invading. All these years of people labeling us as 'sci-fi geeks' and crazy—and we were right all along about life existing on other planets! Anyway, this world's government is in some severe need for reorganization. You guys came because you've been watching us from afar for a couple of millennia, seen how far we have evolved, the amount of potential we have for advancing technology and all that, but these crazy wars all over our planet pose a threat to Earth taking its rightful place in the universe alongside the rest of the intelligent races, so you decided to step in and stop us before we all blow ourselves up, right?"

"Ummmmm…"

"It's okay, you don't have to say anything. You've probably been sworn to secrecy: Code of the Dino-Brotherhood, right?" the man laughed. "Still, I'd love to know why you're all alone in the big city, little dino dude. Did you crash your space-pod here something? You need a lift back to the mother-ship? Cause we totally would be jived to see that!"

Agumon put one foot back intending to run away. These humans were _weird. _He didn't know what made him glance upwards, but he did.

And saw the forms of Biyomon and Hawkmon fly overhead.

He knew instinctively they were looking for him. Why else would they be flying so brazenly in broad daylight, taking the chance that someone might spot them even in their smaller forms that could pass as mere birds? If they found him, they would try and take him back. And he couldn't go back, couldn't face Tai, because it wasn't safe. _He _wasn't safe, he was _dangerous._

If he was so dangerous then surely if these humans offering him a ride tried anything, he could take them, couldn't he?

He hurried into the van before either Biyomon or Hawkmon took notice of him. "I want to go to that mountain," he said firmly pointing towards it in the distance.

"Whooooa, Mt. Fuji?" the man drawled out, his jaw dropping in astonishment. "No way!"

One of the women clapped her hands and giggled excitedly. "Didn't I tell you guys? I knew the alien's base-camp was at Mt. Fuji!"

"Mt. Fuji or bust!" whooped the other man in the backseat as he pulled the van's door shut.

"Alright, little dino dude, never fear! We'll get you back to your buddies real quick! In return, we get a tour of the spaceship," the man who was driver bargained as he started the van forward.

"We all willingly volunteer for any experiments or research you guys want to do to our anatomies," the other woman voiced. "Just don't impregnate us with any alien spawn, okay?"

Agumon wondered if all humans were as crazy as them.

oOo

Deep in the forests on the slopes of Mt. Fuji, a silver and onyx Digimon kneeled hunched over, one armored claw resting on a tree trunk for support. Lethargy coiled itself around BlackWarGreymon's body in a suffocating chokehold like a boa constrictor threatening to strangle its victim to death. BlackWarGreymon resisted the urge to fell prey and succumb to the utter exhaustion that course throughout his limbs and made them weak, useless, and completely defenseless if any adversary came across him at this moment.

BlackWarGreymon scoffed silently as soon as the thought passed his mind. What adversary? He had none because he was not real. His existence served no purpose. At least not in the Digital World. Isn't that the reason he had ripped a gateway open to the real world? The reason for this paralyzing sluggishness that was worming its way all over his body because of all the energy he had spent crossing dimensions?

Now he was here, here in the real world, and he did not know what he had expected to find. There wasn't much difference that he could see from the Digital World. This world thrived in monochrome shades also. The sky was grey; the trees were bare and dead. There were no signs of life anywhere. The only thing out of the ordinary that he could see was the ground. It was white under his feet. It was hard, cold, and crunchy all at once and it seemed to melt into water if he stood in one place in it for too long. Golden eyes narrowed in contempt. Was this all the real world had to offer?

"Are you sure it's this way? I don't see any spaceship."

"For the last time, there is no spaceship! Now, I really would appreciate it if you would leave me alone."

BlackWarGreymon lifted his head at the voices. There in the clearing, a few feet away, a small group of four humans emerged from between the trees.

"Come on, little dino dude, I promise we won't tell the guys in black suits where you parked it. We're on your side, remember? Just stop giving us the run-around. We're freezing our nibs out here," one of the humans said holding his arms close to his body for heat and shivering.

"I told you before, I'm not from outer space even though I _am _from another world! I just don't have a spaceship!" a small orange dinosaur explained as stepped into view.

BlackWarGreymon felt a jolt shoot through him as he recognized the Digimon. Him! What was _he_ doing here?

"Hey, maybe he's like an inter-dimensional extraterrestrial," one of the females spoke up. "Those don't necessarily come from other solar systems, but from alternate universes, parallel worlds."

"I guess… that's sort of right," the Agumon said rubbing his head.

"But I wanted to see _the spaceship!"_ sobbed the male nearest to his right. "You're telling me we hiked all the way up here for nothing?"

"I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen!"

"Calm down," the other male comforted his friend. "The little dino dude must have come here somehow. I bet there's an inter-galatical portal hidden nearby—_augh, w-w-what is that?"_

BlackWarGreymon had finally been spotted. The Mega pushed himself upright, his legs shaking from the strenuous effort. His crossing of dimensions had taken a heavy toll out of his body and he was still feeling very much drained. But he refused to be seen as weak in front of _humans. _

"It's you!" the Agumon cried surprised at his abrupt appearance. If BlackWarGreymon didn't know any better, he would think the small dinosaur was _happy _to see him.

The humans were having some kind of seizure: babbling incoherently, tugging on each other's limbs as they pointed at him, shrieking and jumping up and down in place. At last one of them managed some composure and stepped forward.

"Omigosh, all hail the Dino King!" he exclaimed in awe bending down on one knee. "We humble humans salute you, O Mighty Warrior Rex-o-saur! We bring offerings of the finest food on Earth: pizza and lemon pie!" he snapped his fingers and one of the females scurried up next to him with a small squeal carrying a large covered basket. "We found your subordinate wandering around lost and have returned him to you. All we request in return is for you to share your infinite knowledge of the cosmos with us!"

Annoying humans. If he could summon enough energy, he would have fired his Terra Destroyer at them. So, instead, BlackWarGreymon cleaved the tree trunk he had been leaning against in half with one smooth swipe in response.

Splinters of wood shattered under his claws and sprayed into the air as the tree heaved a final groan and toppled to one side with a humongous _crash._

"Leave now before you're next!" BlackWarGreymon threatened sinisterly.

The basket dropped at the feet of the female who was carrying it as she unleashed a terrified scream and fled down the trail they had come. Her departure seemed to set off a chain reaction in the humans who fled after her like a flock of frightened quail that had been freshly flushed into the unprotected open.

"But-the-cosmos… _I have to knooooow!"_ one of the males howled as his friend towed him away by the arm.

"Let him eat the food first! Dino King will be in a better mood! We'll camp out in the van and come back later!"

Then after the loud pounding of their footsteps had faded away, a peaceful quiet set in. BlackWarGreymon directed his gaze upon the small orange dinosaur that had remained behind.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded raising one armored claw aggressively even as he struggled to keep standing with the fatigue that was overpowering him. But he couldn't let anyone see how vulnerable he was, how little strength he had left.

"Well, what are _you_ doing here?" Agumon echoed his question cheerfully, not appearing to be on the outlook for any weaknesses in his defense. "You were in the Digital World last time I saw you, right?"

BlackWarGreymon kept up his guard though. One never knew if the enemy was luring him into a false sense of security before rushing in for the finishing blow, no matter how small and harmless they looked. "I came through the gateway," he revealed stiffly.

"There's a gateway up here?" Agumon asked surprised. "I thought they could only be opened through a computer? Is there someplace with a comp—hey, are you alright?" he cried rushing over as BlackWarGreymon's legs finally gave out and he buckled to the hard, white ground.

"Stay… back," BlackWarGreymon warned, but the small orange dinosaur ignored him, slipping under his right arm and helping him sit upright again.

"Wow, you don't look so good. You must be sick too!" Agumon cried worriedly. "Just stay there. I'll make us a fire!"

BlackWarGreymon was too exhausted to argue. He sat there and watched the small orange dinosaur scramble about gathering medium-sized rocks and placing them in a circular ring, then dumping a pile of fallen branches and foliage in the middle before igniting it ablaze with his Pepper Breath. Red and orange flames burned brightly as they crackled, the cold, white ground beneath him as well as the thin sheet of ice that had crusted over his armor thawing rapidly at the heat the fire emitted.

"Let's see what we have in here," Agumon said as he carried the fallen basket over to the campsite, staggering blindly under its weight.

"Why?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"Why what?" Agumon said as he lifted a square, cardboard box out of the basket, opened the lid and took out a triangular slice of something yellow dotted with red polka dots.

"Why are you helping me?" BlackWarGreymon demanded.

"You're my friend. Friends help each other," Agumon replied as he held the triangular slice in both claws near the flames. "It's better if the cheese melts," he stated.

"So, if I wasn't your _friend_… you would not be doing this?" BlackWarGreymon pressed, trying to figure out how this small Digimon's mind worked. Perhaps he shouldn't attack him once his strength returned then. He could prove to be a valuable ally with his knowledge of the real world ready at hand.

"Well, I don't think I'd just leave you to freeze to death in the snow if you weren't either," Agumon frowned as he mulled it over.

"You'd show mercy and compassion to your enemies, why?" BlackWarGreymon scoffed. "You're a bigger fool than I thought."

"You don't always need a reason to help someone!" Agumon shouted leaping to his feet.

BlackWarGreymon tensed and flexed his claws as the small, orange dinosaur walked over to him, but all he was doing was offering him a slice of this _pizza._

"Sometimes you simply help someone because it's the right thing to do," Agumon beamed at him.

"As usual, your logic makes no sense," BlackWarGreymon said eyeing the pizza slice that Agumon had placed in his upturned claw. "What do I do with this?"

"You eat it," Agumon laughed as he picked up a slice for himself. He blinked at the perplexed expression on the other's face. "You… you have never eaten before?"

"No," BlackWarGreymon's eyes narrowed. "I was created from Control Spires. I am not a real Digimon. I do not believe eating was considered a necessity for me."

"Try it," Agumon urged. "You might like it."

Well, it was melting all over his armor very messily. That would not do. He had to get rid of it somehow. But by the time he realized he could have just thrown it away, his mouth had already closed about it.

"How's it taste?" Agumon grinned through a mouthful of the cheesy concoction himself.

"It is… strange," BlackWarGreymon chewed slowly. It had flavor certainly—but the words to properly describe it did not exist in his vocabulary. At the moment though, what it was most was _foreign._

"Strange? No, yummy!" Agumon corrected, his cheeks bulging as he stuffed another slice in his mouth. "So, will you tell me why you are so exhausted?"

"I was not…" BlackWarGreymon reluctantly admitted. "Not until I passed through the gateway."

"Hmmm," Agumon thought out loud. "That's not how it usually works. It might be because it's not a true gateway. Tai and I got sucked through a worm-hole once. I de-digivolved to Koromon when we arrived here, and well, I guess Tai was tired after that too."

It was not lost on BlackWarGreymon how the small, orange dinosaur seemed to curl into himself at the mention of the human boy's name. Oh, yes, he had met him before too, hadn't he? Not too long ago in the Digital World.

"Where is your partner?" BlackWarGreymon asked sharply, recalling with some disdain how the Digidestined's Digimon liked to refer the children they bonded to. "Why isn't he with you? I thought you Digimon and your human pets were supposed to be inseparable. You still haven't told me what you are doing here."

"I had to leave," Agumon whispered softly, his green eyes sad.

"Did he send you away?"

"No!" Now the small dinosaur's eyes looked panicked… _guilty._ "It… it wasn't safe. _I _wasn't safe. I had to leave… because… because when you care for someone, you have to protect them—protect what's important to you no matter what! Even if… if it's from yourself."

There was an opportunity to ask what he meant by that, but BlackWarGreymon didn't. It was none of his business, none of his concern. It did not matter what melodrama Agumon and the human boy were going through. If anything, whatever cause of the rift that had come between them only proved that it was foolish to believe any good would come out of a human and Digimon bonding. _Partners,_ ha!

"I'm glad you're here with me right now," Agumon said almost bashfully, the flames from the fire casting a glow on his face. "It would be terribly lonely otherwise. We… we used to camp out like this all the time in the Digital World."

"Is that what we're doing?" BlackWarGreymon asked.

"Yes, but we didn't usually have pizza," Agumon chuckled. "And the children would teach us songs from their world. There was one about a buffalo on a range, but I can't remember all the lines."

Suddenly BlackWarGreymon was disturbed by the idea that the small dinosaur would try to initiate a sing-along with him. That would not do. "You miss them," he stated, changing the subject.

"Sort of. It's not like they're gone. They've just grown up and… and they're not the same kids we met five years ago. I guess that's what happens to humans," Agumon squirmed uncomfortably, before switching the conversation's gears himself. "Hey, watch this!"

BlackWarGreymon watched as the small dinosaur's chest swelled tightly then shrink as he opened his jaws and released a grey smoke ring into the air.

"Whenever we found ourselves in a cold climate like this, we used to have contests of who could make the best ones. I always won," Agumon said fondly. "The others accused me of cheating. They thought I was using the heat from my Pepper Breath to manipulate the shape, but Tai just said I was a natural!"

"How do you make them?" BlackWarGreymon inquired curiously.

"You… you just breathe deep then exhale," Agumon replied baffled.

"Breathe…" BlackWarGreymon repeated as if realizing something.

Agumon's eyes widened. "You… you don't…"

BlackWarGreymon copied what he had seen the small dinosaur do. Grey puffs appeared before his face, their heat exposed by the brisk, cool temperature. Exhales of air. What it meant to breathe. But he could not tell if he had always been able to do this action before or if he had only begun once Agumon had brought it to his attention.

"Sorry," he heard the small dinosaur mumble. He looked over at him expecting an embarrassed expression, but it appeared what Agumon was apologizing for had nothing to do with smoke rings and breathing. "I wanted to talk to you about Plato, but I'm too tired now," Agumon yawned widely.

BlackWarGreymon glanced up. They grey sky had darkened to the black of night. "Who is this Plato?" he asked, feeling as if he had done nothing but ask questions all day.

"Plato was a human who lived a long time ago here," Agumon shared. "He was very wise. He says that everyone with a body that can question and think has a soul, a _heart. _Then it gets complicated because he starts arguing over the goodness of one's soul and if it can survive outside of the body when… when the body dies…" a shudder racked the small dinosaur's frame as he stopped talking. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again and smiling brightly at him. "But you don't have to worry! I believe you have a heart whether you do yourself or not!"

"Even if you are not deluded, I still do not know why I was created or the purpose of my existence," BlackWarGreymon said staring broodingly into the fire.

"That's alright. It turns out most humans don't know either, that's why there's so much fighting in this world," Agumon explained helpfully even as his head bobbed up and down in exhaustion. "They're trying to find themselves, their destinies—like you—and sometimes they clash with each other."

"Don't compare me with _humans," _BlackWarGreymon growled in displeasure.

Agumon cracked a broad, toothy grin as he turned and lay down on his side in front of the fire. "Can you… do you sleep?" he asked shyly.

"I do not believe I ever have."

"Mmm, too bad," he murmured, his eyelids drooping. "Because when you fall asleep sometimes you dream."

"Dream?" BlackWarGreymon wasn't sure he knew what that meant.

"Dreams are wonderful things. Anything can happen in them. You can be anything you want, go wherever you want. Sometimes I dream of Tai... and he's the same age as when I first met him. Only he doesn't leave the Digital World. He stays with me and we're together… forever… and ever…" Agumon's voice faded away as he drifted into slumber.

That night BlackWarGreymon did not fall asleep.

He did not dream.

He tried to ignore the presence of a small, orange dinosaur who tossed and turned restlessly until somehow he managed to curl up against his side so familiarly.

He told himself he did not like it.

But he did not move away either and remained in the same spot thinking on many things and exhaling smoke rings.

oOo

It might have been the bright splash of sunlight hitting him square in the eyes the next day that awoke Agumon, or the cold that had crept into his skin from the fire dying out. All he knew upon sitting up was that BlackWarGreymon was gone. He sighed staring at the empty space that the Mega had sat last night. He had guessed he would leave sooner or later, but he thought he would have at least stuck around until after breakfast.

Oh, that was right. It wasn't necessary for BlackWarGreymon to eat, Agumon remembered as he rummaged in the basket to see what was leftover from yesterday. He still hadn't tried this "lemon pie" yet.

He had just picked it up between his claws and was examining it, wondering what the fluffy, white topping consisted of… then the ground began to shake tremendously beneath his feet. Agumon jumped up in alarm. An earthquake? No, wait, the humans who had driven him here had explained that Mt. Fuji was a volcano… a mountain that exploded boiling lava—burning, hot fire. (They had been concerned about his spaceship melting). Could Mt. Fuji be erupting?

This theory was thoroughly squashed as a herd of Mammothmon thundered out of the trees straight towards him. Agumon yelped and leapt out of the way. The Mammothmon stampeded past, over the remains of the campfire, smashing the food basket into pieces and crashed headlong through the trees on the other side of the clearing. Agumon lifted his face up from where it had fallen headfirst into the lemon pie and gaped in the direction they had disappeared. Several large shadows drifted over him. Craning his head up, he watched Gigadramon and various other Digimon, too numerous to count fly by in a flurry of wings.

Digimon, here, and appearing in masses… how was that even possible? The gateway! He realized with a jolt. The gateway BlackWarGreymon had come through. Of course, other Digimon could have been fallen through it too—stupid of him to think otherwise.

_This isn't good!_ Agumon thought, his tongue flicking out nervously across his dry lips. _I have to—hey, this lemon pie is delicious!_

Agumon shook his trying to clear his mind. Springing up he sprinted as fast as he could down the destructive path the Mammothmon had cleared. He wasn't sure exactly what we was going to do or how he could help, but he was temporarily halted in his mission when he all but stumbled out of the undergrowth onto a small patch of level land that housed a small cabin with a van parked in front of it. It was not the same van from yesterday—that one had been white, this one was black. It didn't take him too long to find out who the owners were. They were all outside:

A dark-haired, sallow-faced man shielded by Arukeniemon and Mummymon both of whom it appeared were about to go head to head with BlackWarGreymon who was charging towards them with deadly intent.

"Wait, wait, _WAIT!"_ he yelled rushing forward, feeling relieved when BlackWarGreymon did halt abruptly at the sound of his voice.

"You… stay out of what you do not understand!" BlackWarGreymon warned him, cold fury coursing through every word.

"Come on, you can't just attack people just because you're angry! Let's talk about this!" Agumon pleaded, trying to play peacemaker.

"There is nothing to talk about!" BlackWarGreymon shouted turning back towards the trio in front of him, raising his claws in preparation to strike.

It was the ground trembling tumultuously again that gave warning.

"Look out!" Agumon said diving to one side just as another swarm of Digimon surged through the trees.

They were not Mammothmon—that was everyone's saving grace. Both the cabin and van were left unscathed as the pack of Monochromon and Triceramon bowled past them over the slope of the hill and down the other side. BlackWarGreymon soared up high to avoid them—he had to dodge Kawagumon and Snimon as they shot by hissing obscenities at him. When the Mega landed again, Arukeniemon, Mummymon, and the human—the human who had named himself as his creator—were gone, the only sign that they were still alive were the van's tire marks on the frozen ground.

"I think the gateway you fell through has grown more unstable," Agumon said coming up to stand next to him. "All these Digimon keep appearing—"

"I did not _fall _through the gateway," BlackWarGreymon corrected him harshly, furious that his quarry had evaded him. "Perhaps I did not make myself clear yesterday. I _ripped_ open a gateway and came here because I will_ not_ be held captive in a dying world that holds no answers nor any reason for my existence!"

"What?" Agumon was shocked. "You—"

"And now that I have at last found the true origin of my creation, you ruin my chances to purge the source!"

"I don't understand what you're talking about!" Agumon cried frustrated.

"Of course, you don't understand! You who were hatched from a Digi-Egg, nutured in Primary Village, created by the Digital Sovereigns to be partner to one of the Chosen Children—_how could you possibly understand?"_ BlackWarGreymon roared.

Agumon didn't flinch at the terrible rage in his tone—didn't appear frightened in the slightest. Perhaps that was the only thing that kept BlackWarGreymon from thrusting his claws in the smaller dinosaur and tearing him apart.

"Alright, so I don't understand why you insist on thinking that fighting solves everything, but here's something I _do_ understand," Agumon said in calm, level tone he often had heard Tai use when talking to Kari—a tone reserved specially between two siblings. "We have to stop those Digimon before things get out of hand. They could seriously hurt somebody!"

BlackWarGreymon stared at him incredulously before throwing his head back and laughing darkly. "Are you_ ordering_ me to clean up my act?"

"Whenever we mess up, we have to take responsibility for our actions!" Agumon chided him. "You tore open a gateway—you have to put them all back. I'll help you. We'll do it together!"

"You are amusing—that's why I'll spare your life," BlackWarGreymon said, locking wild, golden eyes on him. "If you're so worried about the damage they will do, I shall tell you that it will only last until the pain from crossing dimensions wears off. Then the fatigue will set in and they will be quite docile—well, the non-Virus ones that is."

"Pain? You didn't say anything about being in pain yesterday," Agumon said worriedly.

"You caught me in the second stages of the crossing. The pain had worn off by then, but it is excruciating enough it almost makes you go mad," BlackWarGreymon said sweeping his arm widely to the damage the Digimon had done in their wake.

"That's why we have to stop them! They're going to destroy things—"

"So what?" BlackWarGreymon countered. "I don't see any civilization out here."

"There's a city right at the foot of this mountain!" Agumon protested.

"Then if your precious humans whom you admire and cherish so much are as smart as you give them credit for, they will leave before it's too late," BlackWarGreymon scoffed narrowing his eyes. "At the very least, the only thing that will be destroyed are inanimate objects—things that can be replaced. Yes, they can make new ones, create better ones… ones that aren't difficult or flawed. Ones that will serve their intended purpose more adequately."

"BlackWarGr—" Agumon started to say, noticing the scorn in the Mega's tone. Somehow, he felt as if he was talking about something else entirely.

"If you're still so concerned, save the wretched creatures yourselves," BlackWarGreymon gave his final statement as he took to the air. He wasn't sure whether he was talking about the humans or the Digimon. At this point they were both the same to him: less intelligent, lower forms of life. His thoughts drifted to Oikawa and his two underlings. They shouldn't have gone far on this huge, winding mountain. He could still catch them. "My own destiny awaits me."

"You speak of destiny so much!" Agumon burst out angrily. "You act like it should just be handed to you or it will pop out from under a rock! You have to seek it out yourself if you ever want to find it!"

"And just _what _do you think I am doing right now?" BlackWarGreymon demanded hovering in place.

"You're going off by yourself like always!" Agumon exclaimed. "You want a purpose, you want a heart? You have to make decisions in order to reach those! You have to choose sides! You can't keep running away! Don't you see? _There's no reason for anyone's existence if they're all alone!"_

The rage was threatening to overflow from within him. BlackWarGreymon had to hold himself in check before he did something he might regret. "Do not _dare_ to give speeches to me as if I am your _friend _or that human partner of yours! The choices I make are none of your concern! I suggest we do not cross paths again," he warned him solemnly. "Next time, I might not find your naivety nearly so amusing."

"Hey!" Agumon shouted as BlackWarGreymon flew off with those parting words—just a black blur among the treetops. "Hey, come back! Come back and we'll discuss this over some lemon pie! It's really good!"

But BlackWarGreymon did not return and Agumon couldn't afford to hang around and wait for him. He had to stop all those Digimon somehow.

"Angsty, brooding Megas," he muttered to himself under his breath as he followed a trail that led out of the woods to a highway that ran along the length of Mt. Fuji. "MetalGarurumon was just like him… I hope I never was."

He stopped at the foot of the pavement and looked both ways as he had been instructed to do when crossing the street. The road wasn't busy, but then it was awful secluded up here. It was going to take him _hours_ to get to the bottom of the mountain on foot.

A white van appeared around a curve and rolled to a stop in front of him.

"Little dino dude!" the driver cried exhilarated to see him. "Boy, are you a sight for sore eyes!"

The side door slid back to reveal the rest of the humans inside.

"Omigosh, did we like, upset Dino King or something?" the other man asked worriedly. "We didn't mean for him to unleash his alien army on humanity, man!"

A grin broke across Agumon's face. "Take me to the city below and I'll make a call that will bring the Calvary in."

oOo

The Digimon were trashing the human city. _Good riddance,_ BlackWarGreymon thought as he kept a sharp lookout from his bird's-eye view in the sky for any sign of Oikawa. He had seen Arukeniemon and Mummymon being chased across the rooftops earlier by some of the Digidestined's partners, but he was not interested in them. He scoured the ruined streets below searching for anyplace that the man could have hidden… and instead stumbled across a scene that was quite unexpected.

It was that boy, Agumon's partner. Even this far up in the air, he was able to recognize that head of hair. What was he doing in this city when Agumon had come here to distance himself from him for his own protection? BlackWarGreymon watched as the boy and the female that was with him were cornered with their backs against a building, watched as the Tankmon fired and the walls of the building came crashing down, watched as the boy held the female close and tried to shield her from falling slabs with his own body.

It was déjà vu. Hadn't he done that before also? A flashback rose up in the front of his mind of him throwing himself protectively over one small, purple flower that had been directly in the warpath of some raging Mammothmon. Of course, he had seen sense and crushed the flower himself after he had destroyed the Mammothmon. The act was not done in cruelty or evil. He had simply done it to prove to himself he was superior, a higher form of life. That was why he was not going to help stop these Digimon from wrecking the city, why he wasn't going to move these humans out of harm's way. Such acts were beneath him. There was no reason for him to help them.

"_You don't always need a reason to help someone!" _the small, orange dinosaur's words echoed in his memory. _"Sometimes you simply help someone because it's the right thing to do."_

If he did not save the human, Agumon would be sad. He would follow him around crying and there would be more campfires and pizzas. He would be coerced into trying lemon pies and singing songs about buffalos. He would never be rid of him.

_That would not do._

BlackWarGreymon dove down through the skies.

oOo

The white van lay upturned on it side in the middle of the war-torn street by a ramming attack from Cyclonemon. The humans had all climbed out and were now huddled behind it as the group of Digimon slowly encircled them.

"Tell them we mean no harm and we come in peace!" one of the women cried frantically.

"Yeah, help us, little dino dude!" one of the men chimed in. "You're our only hope!"

Agumon swiveled his head and took in the sight of Tankmon, Tuskmon, Monochromon, and Triceramon all working together for once in an astounding group-effort to surround and subdue their prey. Subdue, meaning the worst possible scenario imaginable. He could see the sharp edges of pain shining in their eyes. _"It is excruciating enough it almost makes you go mad," _he recalled BlackWarGreymon's words. Talking would do no good here and neither would shooting his Pepper Breath at them. It would only cause them to attack sooner. What could he do though? These humans were counting on him to keep them safe.

_Tai…_ Agumon thought as Tankmon took aim. _Help me._

It blossomed in his chest, then spread like wildfire to the rest of his body until he was engulfed in it. Warm, orange, valiant and bright—everything that made up Tai—and Agumon gave himself up to it willingly.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N: **It's not too hard to guess what happened last, right? XP So, it's been what two months since I last updated? Pfft, I have a legit excuse this time: YOUNG JUSTICE ROCKS! Ahem, okay, so it's not so legit. But boy, am I having a blast in that fandom! I've even started to read comics now. Comics! Of Batman and Robin! XD Anyhoo, yeah, this chapter would have been out sooner except that I got sidetracked for like a month watching YJ, reading fanfics, writing fanfics, lurking on tumblrs, DA, and LJs. Then YJ S2 just aired and while the entire fandom is still in shock and my mind reeling over that first episode, I decided to take a quick break and sit down and finish this chapter during the week gap before the next ep! Don't worry, I won't abandon this fic. I love it too much! I still intend to work on chapters.

As for the events that transpired here, I wanted you all to see why Agumon left Tai for so long, see him interact with BlackWarGreymon, and try to show you the inner workings of the Mega's mind. Do you think I wrote the big guy well? I did love exploring his thoughts—it was quite interesting to get his opinion on things. I also had fun looking up the Japanese subbed ep 46 to see if Agumon really does mention lemon pie. He doesn't, lol, but I left it in there because I'm nostalgic for the English dubbed. And the whole theories of side-effects from rogue gateways, that's my own artistic license also.

Fun Facts: while writing this chapter, I listened to Phil Collins' songs from the Tarzan soundtrack. "I'm Still Here" by Johnny Reznik. "I Stand Alone" by Bryan White and "Some Nights" by Fun. They all make me think of how BlackWarGreymon feels.

Next chapter: Tai's POV, more Junichi and things heat up! (Not that way, you dirty-minded—okay, maybe a little bit that way^^)

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts and favorite scenes. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


	25. Let's Kick It Up

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

**Summary:** Jun keeps popping up in the most unexpected places. Tai is not pleased, especially when it gives his friends the wrong impression.

**Title: No Girls Allowed**

**Ch. 24 Let's Kick It Up**

"So, what do you guys think?" Matt asked surreptitious eyeing Jun and Tai who were standing near the edge of the building's rooftop observing the city once the introductions were over.

"Of the Gruesome Twosome?" Davis pointed towards them and made a retching face. "Siiiiiiiiick!"

"Well, I think it's sort of sweet," Mimi said although her smile looked a little strained.

"You're just glad that Jun's with Tai now and he'll stop any more attempts of her making either of you the unwitting stars of 'Fact Or Fiction—Brave Hearts!'" Izzy assessed shrewdly.

"They do seem to get along real well, don't they?" Joe said turning his head to watch them.

"You certainly can't deny that they're perfectly in sync with each other," Sora said.

"Hey, up here, you tin can on roller skates!" Tai hollered to a Tankmon below waving his arms wildly. "You couldn't hit the broad side of Machinedramon's butt if it was staring you right in the face!"

"Yeah!" Jun whooped joining in on the taunting. _"Your mother was a golf cart!"_

"Good one!" Tai praised holding out the palm of his hand for a high-five which she slapped enthusiastically. "But I think I should mention now the fact that Digimon come from eggs."

"Don't rain on my parade, Saint Sayan," Jun growled poking a finger into his face intimidatingly. "I can still undercut you like Mohawk, injured ankle or not. I took five years of karate!"

"You would make the most awesome-est Power Ranger _ever,"_ Tai grinned.

"Flattery will get you everywhere!" Jun shrieked with laughter giving him a delighted slug on the arm that sent Tai reeling a couple of paces sideways with the brunt of its force. "Hey-ho, doncha know?" she belted out what sounded like cheer made up on the spot. "We got scraps of metal littered down below!"

"They ain't got no brains, ain't got no guns!" Tai chimed in doing an impression of an air-guitar rock. "They so stupid, we got them on the run!"

A chorus of enraged "HUH-HUH-HUH"s resonated from the ground up to the top of the building.

"What's that?" Jun cried holding one hand to ear and cocking her head to the side. "I'm sorry, we can't understand you… OVER THE SOUND OF HOW INCREDIBLY UGLY YOU ALL ARE!"

"That didn't even make sense!" Tai laughed.

"I know! We should totally take therapy lessons together!" Jun cried elatedly.

"Baby, they can't cure our craziness," Tai proclaimed with a heavy accent as he flung a brazen arm around her shoulders. "We were _born_ with it!"

Their joined laughter rang out through the air, loud and exuberant, and the Tankmon didn't appear to enjoy it one bit judging by the way they took out their frustrations by aiming their missile attacks at the building and causing it to shake violently.

"Would you two_ stop _baiting them before they take out the foundation in retaliation?" Izzy shouted in exasperation.

Still laughing, Tai turned and walked back over to his friends towing Jun along. "Sorry, sorry!" he apologized with a wide smile that didn't seem to match his words. "So, since we're late to this party, what have we missed?"

"Oh, just some more rogue digimon slipping into the real world and causing mayhem and destruction and we're left to clean up their mess," Matt declared crossing his arms. "You know the usual."

Behind him, Yolei made a strangled noise in her throat. Her hands were clutched tightly together in front of her and her eyes were scrunched shut behind her glasses. Kari placed her hands around the girl's quivering shoulders sympathetically.

Tai felt the adrenaline and excitement drain from his system. Suddenly, the situation had become much more serious. "And just what do you mean exactly by 'clean up the mess'?" he asked quietly.

Matt shot a sideways glance that had "_are you for real?"_ written all over it. "I'd think that would be fairly obvious," he said crisply.

Tai lowered his gaze. So it had come down to this. And now the younger kids had his harsh words of their complete inadequacy at being Digidestined no doubt still echoing in their heads.

"Taichi-sempai," Davis spoke up. "I know what you said before was in anger… but it was also true. We _don't _understand what you all had to go through. I know compared to you older kids and what you did, we're all pretty weak—"

"No, Davis," Tai cut him off abruptly feeling disgusted at himself. "You can forgive what I said, but never forget it either. I was angry and jealous and feeling worthless, but I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You're not weak. None of you younger kids are. You have your own unique strengths and gifts. Maybe that's why the Digital Sovereigns chose you guys this time around. Maybe it's because we've all grown too accustomed to just deleting any threat in our paths to reach the finish line without thinking twice about it. Maybe they wanted new kids with a fresher outlook who would hesitate before taking an innocent life that could never be reborn."

The last statement was met with puzzled glances. It was clear no one had quite understood the significance of it. Tai locked eyes with Izzy. "You haven't told them?"

Izzy fidgeted distinctively uncomfortable. "It's just a theory," he mumbled.

"Funny, you sounded a lot more confident when you shared this 'theory' with me back in the Digital World," Tai said.

"What? What are you talking about?" Cody asked.

Opening his mouth, Tai let one word spill out, "Wizardmon."

He didn't have to explain. Slowly, one by one he saw comprehension dawn on each of his friends' faces; those of the Digidestined that hadn't already deduced this themselves before. Yolei buckled down on her knees.

Matt's grim expression hadn't wavered one bit. "That still doesn't change the fact that we need to stop these Digimon before they destroy anything else and putting them all back in the Digital World is pointless right now, you know that."

"It's—it's not like we haven't done this before," Davis tried to placate everyone. "We took out this Lord Daemon's henchmon, remember? We can do it again if necessary!"

"It's _not _necessary!" Yolei exclaimed, rising up off with a smoldering fury. "Those Digimon, they were _evil_. They were hurting innocent people and knew exactly what they were doing too! These... those down there… they're just lost and scared! We have to help them and not by needlessly deleting them!"

Matt was extremely frustrated, Tai could tell. He was barely keeping a firm lid on his temper. "Oh by all means," he snapped. "Let's just call Greenpeace then. Maybe they'll put them all in a zoo and charge tickets. I suppose that would be the safest route to go."

"There's no need for sarcasm, Matt," Mimi chided. "You're only making things worse."

"Oh, so now it's _my_ fault she can't face the fact that sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to accomplish something for the greater good!"

"What's so good about killing off innocent lives?"

Tai heaved a weary sigh as he watched his friends engage in a heated debate that he could see no definite agreement come out of.

"Wow, you Digidestined have a lot more on your plate than you can handle," Jun confessed. "Sort of glad I'm not one of you guys after all. Too bad you can't just force the Digimon into time out and talk things over, huh?"

"What was that?" Tai asked sharply, feeling a jolt shoot through him at those last words.

"Oh, that was me just trying to make a joke—that was probably dumb, sorry," Jun amended hastily.

"No," Tai said staring at her astounded. "No, that was actually a really good idea!"

"What?"

"Davis!" Tai cried, grabbing the younger boy by the arms and spinning him around to face him. Excitement was bubbling in his chest as a half-sketched plan unfolded in his head. "Try and get into touch with Paildramon on your D-3!"

"You can do that?" Davis asked, surprised by this piece of information.

"Kari and T.K. and were able to talk directly through Angemon and Angewomon through their Crests and Tags when were battling VenomMyotismon," Tai explained looking at Izzy for confirmation on this theory. "It might work with the digivices as well. We've just never tried it before."

"That's a very far-fetched hypothesis," Izzy gave his opinion on it. "But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to try whatever hare-brained scheme you've concocted. We're running in short supply of ideas here."

"Ummm… ok," Davis said holding up his D-3 near his mouth. "Er… testing, testing, one, two, three. Anyone hear me?" Absolute silence came in reply. "Yeah… nothing's happening," he said awkwardly and flushed slightly, aware that he was the center of attention.

"Don't forget, Paildramon belongs to _both_ of us," Ken's voice spoke up. A barely-noticeable smirk was hidden in the corners of his lips as he stepped next to Davis and held up his own D-3 alongside his digivolving partner's. "Let's call him together."

"Right!" Davis cried gaining a boost of confidence. "Ready, set, go!"

"Paildramon, come to us!" Ken and Davis shouted in unison.

For a moment, it looked as if they had accomplished nothing, that the theory had been a failure. Then twin beams of light shot out from the D-3s—one blue, one green—and sliced through the air, zig-zagging between buildings before disappearing behind one in a downward spiral. A few seconds later, Paildramon had soared up into the sky and was making a beeline straight for them, the edges of blue and green light still gleaming faintly around him.

"Why didn't anyone tell me we could communicate like this? It would have saved us loads of time on tactics before," Stingmon and ExVeemon's combined voices called out sounding vaguely amused.

"Sorry, but this is news to us too!" Davis waved at his partner before turning to Tai. "So what's the plan?" he asked eagerly.

"Right," Tai coughed into his fist. "He digivolves into Imperialdramon," he pointed at Paildramon. "He rounds up all the rogue Digimon to where the rest of our partners are waiting and we keep them contained in one place… and we all go down and talk some sense into them until they agree not to destroy things anymore. Now, hurry up and start telling me how stupid and crazy that is. I can't stand waiting," he said breathlessly.

Matt let out a incredulous snort. "Any other time, and I would completely rip that strategy into shreds. But compared to the other option we're faced with…" his eyes slid towards the younger kids. "Well, it's worth a shot."

"Let's do it," Yolei said. The pasty-white color had fled from her cheeks. A determined expression had settled upon her face. "Let's at least _try._ If it doesn't work…" her voice wavered for a second, before hardening again. "If they refuse to listen… then we'll do it the old-fashioned way, agreed?"

One by one, the younger Digidestined nodded their consent.

"Alright, you heard the plan," Ken said turning Paildramon.

"Time to take it up a notch!" Davis exclaimed.

"On it!" Paildramon declared, spreading his arms wide and letting himself freefall backwards into empty space. Blinding white light exploded before the Digidestined's eyes, taking several seconds before the brilliance finally faded, and then Imperialdramon in his Fighter Mode could be seen skimming the streets below at swift pace, herding every Digimon in his path in the opposite direction with his Splendor Sword.

"It's Digi Round-up Time!" Imperialdramon whooped wildly. "YEE-HAW!"

"What have you been letting Veemon watch, Davis?" Ken asked raising an eyebrow.

"How come you automatically assume it's _my_ partner that has gone all Cowboys and Indians?" Davis demanded.

"Because Wormmon only watches the Discovery Channel and National Geographics," Ken couldn't resist revealing smugly.

"I hear them in their room all time cheering and hollering at those foreign Western films on tv," Jun added to the mix. "I peeked in once and saw they had made two forts out of bed-sheets and were throwing pillows back and forth at each other."

"Lies! All lies!" Davis shrieked.

"Did you win?" Tai asked.

"Of course!" Davis proclaimed, switching gears instantly. "The Lone Goggle Ranger _always_ wins!" His face flared red when he realized he had just unwittingly outed himself.

Tai would have laughed at his mortified expression except…

His digivice had started to go off in urgent, repetitive beeps. There was no cause for it that he could see since the other Digidestined were all gathered together in the same location. The only other time he could think of when it had acted out of the ordinary like this was earlier this year, before the new team had formed, when the Digital World's gateway had reopened again and he knew instinctively deep within him that Agumon was in jeopardy.

"Hey, look!" Jun tugged at his arm pointing. "There are people down there!"

Tai let his eyes fall to the street below that ran past the building. His heart had leaped into his throat as if already knowing what he would see. A van lay overturned on its side with the distinct figures of four humans grouped close around it as a large posse of Digimon slowly surrounded them. And a few feet away from them, placing himself in the direct path of harm, was Agumon.

Looking back on it, Tai hadn't been surprised to see his partner at all. It was almost as if he had been expecting him to arrive at some moment sooner or later. It was as if something had drawn everyone to be there that day. Call it coincidence, call it fate, but the Chosen Children and their Digimon were meant to be here this very moment on the slopes of Mt. Fuji.

No, Tai was not surprised in the slightest upon seeing Agumon. He was however, completely terrified at what might happen to him when all the Digimon attacked at once.

And he hadn't even been able to say good-bye or that he was sorry.

A paralyzing sensation seized a hold of him and he couldn't move or breathe. Gut-wrenching panic coiled itself up from the pits of his stomach and wound itself throughout his entire body choking him.

oOo

_"You not only don't believe in yourself…you've given up believing in _me."

oOo

The suffocating feeling ceased its ruthless grip on him as he only now began to comprehend what those words meant.

Fear.

He had been afraid for so long now.

Afraid that he was no longer worthy to be a Digidestined.

Afraid that Agumon would be deleted permanently if he allowed him to fight at his full capacity.

Afraid of Agumon himself because he still had no idea to what extent the Virus had warped or rewritten his partner's data.

But he couldn't afford being afraid anymore.

Not now.

Not ever again.

Not when Agumon so desperately needed his help.

The very character trait that he had been_ chosen_ for… it had been squashed and shoved back into the shadows, just like so many hopes and dreams had met their untimely end by the grim reality of life.

But those things never fully left people. They were simply forgotten about so there would be no pain for _what could have been. _No sorrow for the loss of something they once had, no regret for something they had never been able to achieve. Yet people still possessed the power to make their goals possible.

Fear was a necessary precaution to have.

But no one should ever let it hinder their judgment or rule their life.

_I _am_ afraid,_ Tai thought as this realization flooded his brain. _But it shouldn't matter, _doesn't _matter. Because Agumon is more important._

Besides, they both had sworn to each other after all.

oOo

_"You won't lose me, Tai. I'll be here whenever you need me."_

_"Even when I'm old and grey?"_

_"Always and forever."_

oOo

"_I'm sorry… for failing you like that. I'll never do it again."_

oOo

It was time they both start living up to their promises.

It started with a tingling under skin like that of electricity. His pulse was racing unnaturally fast. He could hear his own heart-beat drumming in his ears, and then he was engulfed in a scorching wave of heat. It was insane—here it was in the middle of winter and yet he felt as if his whole body was on _fire. _The air was hot and heavy to breathe and felt the cold trickles of sweat break out across his brow. It was as if he was standing under the blazing rays of the summer sun.

"_Taichi-sempai,"_ he heard Davis whisper in a hushed awe.

The boy was staring transfixed at the digivice clipped to his belt.

It was glowing a steady, radiant orange.

The burning sensation shot down the base of his spine and spiraled into his chest. It exploded outward visibly: a shimmering, candescent orb of light brimming powerfully enough that the air fairly hummed with energy. The golden-orange rays of the late afternoon sky seemed to condense and solidify into one giant, rapidly-spinning, blazing tornado that anchored itself in the last spot Agumon had been seen in. Flaming tongues of red fire wove themselves around the whirling pillar of light as it transformed its shape into a burning sphere. It hovered in the air pulsating, the tongue flames still flickering in and out erratically—then without warning, it exploded in a shower of thousand, shining golden specks of light revealing the figure it had been shielding within its depths.

Tai heard startled gasps all around him. If his own breath weren't trapped in his lungs, he'd probably join them.

That form… he hadn't seen it for five years time. He had doubted he ever would again. Had doubted his own strength and worth was capable of manifesting this evolution of his partner. But there was no doubt now what his eyes were beholding.

WarGreymon turned his head towards the roof of the building the children were on. For an instant, digital green and human brown eyes locked. Then the moment passed and WarGreymon had dove down to join the melee below.

Tai rushed to the edge of the roof half-laughing, half-shouting his partner's name, a giddy, joyful release flooding his veins. WarGreymon was all but a golden blur as he knocked aside the Digimon that had been encircling the humans and the over-turned van. That task complete, he regrouped with Imperialdramon—the two Megas making quick handiwork of their quarry.

"You can do it, Imperialdramon!" Davis shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth to enlarge his voice. _"Ramen Cart Charge!"_

"Go, WarGreymon!" Tai cheered, feeling a wild excitement uncurl from the pits of his stomach. _"Pepper Breath Shoot!"_

"And don't forget—" Davis and Tai cast manic, wide grins at each other before turning to urge their partners on. _"ATTACK PATTERN ALPHA!" _they cried in unison.

"What… in the world—" Matt started to say.

"Don't try and decipher goggle-speech, please," Jun sighed, rubbing her temples wearily. "You'll never crack the code in a million years."

In less than two minutes, the rogue Digimon had been rounded up in one spot. Any attempts on their behalf to break away and they were soundly smacked back into place by one of the Digidestined's partners.

Quite suddenly, Tai felt the excitement and adrenaline drained from him, impatience their place. He was down there. WarGreymon was down there. He could see him: a golden figure standing amongst the dull grey of the ruined city's buildings and streets. His partner was down there and he was up here. And the last time they had been together they had both lashed out verbally in anger. There was nothing more that Tai wanted to do than to erase that hurt, and ten stories were all that separated them.

"Need a lift?" Izzy asked, seeing his anxiety and issuing to MegaKabuteriemon.

oOo

The minute Tai's feet hit solid ground, they were off and running, headed straight towards where he could see WarGreymon ringed in the midst of them. His back turned towards him and the Courage symbol on his shield was gleaming golden in the setting sun. A broad grin split out across Tai's face at the sight.

His happiness was short-lived.

"_Watch out!"_ Izzy cried out in warning behind him.

Tai tore away his gaze from his partner in time to see a Tankmon, pinned down by Digmon, whose nozzle had been shoved into the cracked ground for non-usage raise one of its arms and take aim at him.

Staring down the cannon of the gun barrel even from this distance away, he had a second to realize his mistake. One split second to re-think that maybe he shouldn't have goaded them so much as he did before. There was no time to avoid it, he was too close, and he knew no matter which direction he ran, it wouldn't make any difference.

The bullets fired themselves out of the Tankmon's barrel-arm with machine-gun ferocity just as a shadow fell over him.

A large, black shadow with solid claws of steel that planted themselves in front of him and deflected the spray of bullets until the onslaught was over. When they pulled away, the Tankmon was being forcibly restrained Digmon, and BlackWarGreymon was staring down at him with searing, incomprehensible gaze.

"Um… thanks, I think," Tai said weakly, wondering why the Mega had chosen to save his life _for the second time._

"The lengths you humans go to prove how stupid you are over and over," was all the explanation BlackWarGreymon gave before launching himself into the sky.

"Or not," Tai said, feeling his right eyebrow twitch in irritation.

Clawed feet trod the ground in front of him. Tai felt his heartbeat quicken, and as much as he wanted to he could not bring himself to look up. Golden-armored claws wrapped themselves around him, and Tai found himself lifted up with his feet dangling several inches above the ground as WarGreymon pressed him against his breastplate in a firm, yet gentle embrace, holding him as tightly as possible without putting pressure on his spine, clutching him with a subtle desperation as if he would vanish into smoke if he let go.

He must have gasped, must have tensed or something because WarGreymon started to relax his grip and lower him back down. "I am sorry," he apologized worriedly. "Did I hurt—"

Tai locked his arms around his partner's neck hastily. "No, no, I'm fine! Really." He tried to find words through the chaos of emotions swirling in his chest. "I'm the one who should be sorry, sorry that I couldn't help you digivolve before this."

"No," WarGreymon said tersely. "You aren't the only one to blame. I spoke in selfishness and ended up causing needless grief between us. Forgive me."

"So, you're saying that you're sorry that I'm sorry that you're sorry?" Tai felt a grin creeping across his face. "I think we've had this conversation before once." He swallowed trying to dislodge the knot he could feel at the base of his throat. "I missed you," he confessed, burying his face against WarGreymon's broad shoulder—the steel that covered it was oddly warm in contrast to the frigid temperature. Any tears that the wind threatened to freeze on his cheeks were soon melted by it.

"I missed you too," came his partner's quiet rumble.

"Let's neither of us never go off again without telling the other where we're going, alright?" Tai said. "No matter how bad an argument we've had before."

"Never," WarGreymon promised solemnly.

Wind whipped at his hair suddenly and tugged at his clothes. Tai lifted his head to see the other Digidestined with their partners descend from the sky. The sight of Jun in Garudamon's claws made his grin stretch wider. The girl was clutching the giant bird Digimon's front talon for dear life. Her tepid, disgruntled expression was written clearly on her face. He wondered on the significance that he knew the exact thought that was going through her mind at the moment: _I can't believe my life is in the hands of Turkeymon._

"You know," WarGreymon said following his gaze, "according to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with 4 arms, 4 legs and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into two separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves."

"Oh my god, did you seriously just quote Plato?" Tai asked feeling the urge to half-scream, half-laugh hysterically.

"You know I could be wrong," WarGreymon said sounding very amused, "but I get the feeling you don't like him very much which is too bad, because he was really wise and gave good advice!"

"Put me down before I throw up on you."

WarGreymon complied, laughing deeply as he did. Jun scrambled down from her ride as best as she could to hurry to his side aided by her brother who didn't appear very happy about it, though he did perk up as soon as they reached the two of them.

"Taichi-sempai, wow, you were awesome!" Davis gushed enthusiastically, staring at WarGreymon's striking figure up close. _"He_ was awesome! I mean, I saw pictures from the internet battle years ago, but this is way better!"

"Careful, you'll make your own partner jealous with all that praise," Tai chuckled, knowing it wasn't true. Imperialdramon was far more busy dealing the sizeable band of rogue Digimon they had rounded up.

"Alright, here's how it goes," the mecha dragon Digimon declared loudly, leveling his Positron Laser at them in warning as he spun around in a slow circle. "One of you stops being a barbaric dunderhead and speaks up so we all can understand you—and I know you can—and tell us why you're all so fond of smashing things or me and my friends start tanning your hides."

"That's right," WarGreymon said striding forward, pushing non-too gently through their ranks to stand by his fellow Mega's side. "Except for him," lifting one armored claw, he pointed to the dark form that was BlackWarGreymon perched on top of a nearby building over-viewing the scene like some menacing gargoyle. "He's more of a stab and destroy kind of guy. Can't promise you any compassion with him. So what'll it be?"

In the end, it was a Snimon who actually articulated coherently, although his choice of words weren't particularly eloquent.

"Sssssssssstuuuuuupiiid, disssssssssgusssssstiiiiing huuuuuumanssss," the Digimon hissed, baring his sharp, needle-like fangs at the children.

"No calling others bad names!" Imperialdramon corrected him, jutting out his free claw sharply at the Snimon in warning. "That's just rude and mean! Bully-ing is _not _cool!"

The Snimon retreated back into sullen silence, glaring his animosity through his beady eyes at his captors.

Another voice was quick to take his place.

"You dare call yourselves Digimon?" It was a Gigadramon that spoke up next. The length of his snake-line body was stretched out parallel to the ground and WereGarurumon was crouched on top of the base of his neck, his claws digging into the soft undersides of the Ultimate's jaw in case he got any ideas of tearing himself free. "You who serve humans like mindless cattle?"

"That's fine talk," WereGarurumon barked sharply. "We weren't the ones wrecking a deserted city until all our energy is spent up and leaving us completely helpless at the hands of humans you claim are your enemy. Why don't you think over your tactics next time?"

"Don't give them any ideas," Matt said.

WarGreymon knelt on knee so that he was eye-level with the Gigadramon. "I know of the pain you suffer from crossing the gateway. It has driven you less than stable," he said.

"What's he talking about?" Tai turned to Izzy who had come up next to him.

"I was just going to ask you that," Izzy shrugged. "But in all reason, there _does _have to be gateway around somewhere that transported them here. Side-effects could happen."

WarGreymon was continuing to speaking in slow, solemn tones as if to drill into the Digimons' minds the gravity of the situation they found themselves in. "I know your anger stems from the state of the Digital World right now. And I know you blame the humans for it. But destroying this world will not help restore balance to your own. The worlds are connected. Any damage you do either there or here will have repercussions for us all."

"I hope the big jerk is listening," Davis muttered, craning his head up and squinting at the inky outline of BlackWarGreymon atop the building.

"Hey, that big jerk saved our lives, twerp," Jun said, coming to the Digimon's defense quickly.

"Yes, that was an interesting twist," Izzy said side-eyeing Tai. "Any ideas on why?"

"How should_ I_ know what goes on his head?" Tai proclaimed, wondering what the sudden flash of unease in his gut meant.

"These humans are the Digidestined," WarGreymon said issuing to the children who spread out around the base of Kabuteriemon and Garudamon's feet, the sheer mass of their size and bulk putting doubts into any Digimon's mind about attacking. "They were chosen by the Digital Sovereigns for a purpose whether you agree on their decision or not. They do not wish any of you ill and seek to find a way to save your world and their own. They are not your enemies. None of us are, no matter what you think. Will you not give us chance to prove this?"

The captured Digimon were stirring uneasily as they mulled over these words. The children's partners grew restless at the tension that loomed ominously in the air. Tai really didn't want to think what would happen they had to destroy the Digimon after all. It was one thing to delete them when you were defending your life, but to systematically turn them into bits of digital data one by one in cold blood after they had already been defeated: it sounded something close to genocide. He thought perhaps that he understood a bit how Yolei felt about all this now.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Gigadramon spoke up again. "You wish us to believe that these _puny,_ little humans are even capable of restoring order and balance to our world?"

"They _are, _whether you choose to believe it or not is of no concern," WarGreymon said without a shadow of a doubt. "What you can choose today is whether or not to return to your world peacefully and retain enough sense to not damage it any further than it already is. You are not without reason no matter how loudly you rage and demolish things. You are aware of the consequences your actions will unleash. These two worlds can still be saved. They can be restored to what they once were."

It was the Megadramon a few feet away, pinned to the ground under the heavy paws of Zudomon, who uttered soft and dangerously, "And if we refuse?"

WarGreymon flexed his steel claws in response, his green eyes narrowing into slits as he locked gazes with him. The Gigadramon who had been the spokesperson for the group of digimon thus far visibly flinched as he eyed the twin golden vambraces on his lower arms. They hosted Dramon Destroyers Tai remembered with a small jolt.

What seemed like an eternity passed: an eternity consisting of anxiously-pounding heartbeats for the children and low hisses and growls of the rogue digimon as they mulled their choices over; the fragile stand-still finally coming to a close when the Gigadramon gave their answer.

"We… _accept._"

It was spoken with a harsh bitterness and brimming with barely concealed fury and frustration. It was evident they clearly would have liked nothing more than to continue on their rampage, however, fear of their impending deletion overweighed their urge to wreak havoc.

Imperialdramon's taunt frame relaxed at their words. He looked relieved that he did not have to execute any fellow digimon today. WarGreymon's body language betrayed nothing; his stoic expression did not waver. He glanced over to where Izzy and Tai stood and nodded curtly.

"Oh, right," Izzy fumbled with his laptop, signaling Yolei over to open the gateway with her D-3. The girl's eyes were shining brightly; worry no longer clouding her face.

The captured digimon disappeared into the screen back to the Digital World in a blurring flash of colors. Then they were gone, the gateway relocked, and there was nothing left except the Digidestined and their partners in the deserted and ruined streets of Fujiyoshida City.

"Omigosh, that was incredible!" came a shout as four other humans emerged from behind their overturned van and began making a beeline straight towards the children. "That was more amazing than the time we went to Universal Studios Japan! Way better than the Jurassic Park ride, man! _Way better!"_

"Who are—" Izzy said, backing away in alarm as one of the two men stretched eager fingers towards his laptop.

"The portal!" the man gushed excitedly. "It's like a mini Stargate right? How did you discover it? How did you figure a way to channel its power? Have you been to other side yet?"

"Back," MegaKabuteriemon ordered, seeing his partner's unease and placing a protective claw down in front of him.

The man squeaked and stopped in his tracks, staring up at the insectoid digimon utterly spellbound while the rest of his companions roved eager eyes glowing in admiration over the rest of the digimon present.

"Calm yourselves, they mean no harm," WarGreymon told his teammates. "Greetings, friends," he said lifting one claw.

"Wow, little dino dude isn't so little anymore!" one of the females squealed with a dreamy expression Tai found disturbing. "How'd you get so big and strong?"

"With help," WarGreymon smiled beckoning Tai to come forward which he did with slight hesitance. "He is a part of me as I am a part of him. We are nothing without each other."

The words struck a chord, sparked a cinder in his chest that flared and rose until Tai felt their warmth worm its way through every inch of his skin, into the very marrow of his bones, into the dark corners of his mind, sweeping away the shadows that lingered and threatened to draw him back into their depths.

Then it was Agumon, not WarGreymon, who was standing next to him with the flickering edges of orange light of digivolution fading around him; Agumon, who was hugging him around his waist and speaking the simple truth of their bond into the air, "Because we are partners."

And the only thing Tai found he could do or say was to kneel down and return the small dinosaur's hug just as fiercely.

A now-familiar shadow slid over them. He heard the sci-fi fanatics startled gasps and their hasty retreat, as well as the Digidestined's apprehensive shifting from behind.

"You are wise to take this form while I remain," BlackWarGreymon addressed Agumon. "But I would not have battled you until you were at full strength again. There is no true victory when my opponent is at a disadvantage."

Agumon only smiled. "What do you mean? We're not opponents, we're friends, remember?"

"I don't have friends. I do not _need_ friends," BlackWarGreymon denied turning his gaze on Tai. "You," he said sharply pointing an armored claw at him that Tai tensing in reflex. "Take him on more camping trips now that you are reunited."

"What?" Tai blinked, not quite sure he had heard that correctly.

"Sing songs with him of buffalos and feast on pies of lemon. Do so until both your voices grow hoarse with misuse and your wretched bellies are sick of overeating. I will waste no more time of my existence listening to either of your sorrowful wailings," BlackWarGreymon declared lifting into the air. "Do not seek me out, do not get in my way, and perhaps I will rethink crossing claws with you before my end," were the Mega's final words before he departed to only he knew where.

"Well…" Tai said as he watched the Digimon's silhouette get swallowed up the sunset. "That was weird."

"I told you he wasn't really bad," Agumon said happily.

"Yeah, putting off whether to kill or us or not because he can't make up his mind right now definitely makes him a nice guy," Tai stated.

"Why do I get the feeling you've talked to him before this?" Matt asked curiously coming up next to them.

"It was only once," Tai said standing to his feet. "Well, maybe twice," he corrected thinking of how BlackWarGreymon had rescued him from the falling debris and then the Tankmon's attack. "Okay, four times if you want to get technical," he confessed to Matt's skeptical eye.

"What did you talk about?" Matt looked baffled.

"I dunno… Plato?" Tai said throwing out his arms. There hadn't really been an exact topic of conversation that he could pin-point.

"_Greymon magnet,"_ he heard Izzy mutter out of the corner of his mouth sounding vaguely amused.

"Shut up, Izzy," he snarled as the boy began snickering at his indignant expression.

"I get it! You two are like the Yang to Dino King's Yin!"

He didn't even have to look to know where that comment came from.

"Omigosh, so you're like the little dino dude's symbiotic host, right?" one of the males said gawking open-mouthed at Tai as he and the rest of the sci-fi fanatics gathered around him.

Tai glanced at Agumon and raised an eyebrow. The small dinosaur shook his head sadly as if he had given up trying to explain a long time ago.

"Tch, what are you foolish humans talking about?" Tai scoffed at them, crossing his arms over his chest. "I've merely taken on this mortal form while I reside on your plane of existence so as not to _blind _you all with my sheer, magnanimous radiance!"

Agumon noted that the sci-fi fanatics seemed to be having another convulsing seizure attack of sorts as they all but groveled before Tai's feet. Jun was hiding her smile behind her hand and tittering gleefully in the background.

"Oh, brother," Kari rolled her eyes.

"You _dare_ doubt my power, mortal maiden?" Tai demanded rounding on his sister with an evil leer showing he was enjoying this deception immensely. "Shall I recount the saga of how I traversed endless galaxies, riding the tail of a comet and living solely off stardust for nigh a millennia, only halting my adventurous quest when I heard this world cry out for a savior?"

"Somebody please stop him before he actually starts believing it himself," Sora said.

"Why look yonder!" Jun gasped delightedly joining in on the fun and pointing at something on the ground a few feet away. "There is all that remains of this mighty space warrior's mode of transportation!"

Walking over to it, Tai knelt before the twisted, blackened metal that once had been Jun's moped and clapped both hands together in a solemn prayer. "Rest in peace, noble steed, for you have delivered your heroes to their destination and the battle was won. Your sacrifice was not in vain."

He heard footsteps crunch upon the ground as Jun came to stand beside him as she bowed before her moped's remains. "Long will your swiftness of speed be told throughout generations. We swear the memory of your last valiant ride will never tarnish!"

"Good grief," Izzy murmured.

"Taichi-sempai," Davis said popping up beside him and breaking the spell. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice if you insist on continuing this atrocity of a relationship you have been caught in! This is for your own good!" the boy declared solemnly, pulling up a picture on his cell phone and shoving it into his sempai's face.

It took a few seconds for Tai to realize what he was seeing was a picture of Jun. Davis must have snapped it while she was sleeping. At least he assumed she was sleeping. He couldn't see her eyes from behind their cucumber slices that went along with the green avocado mask smeared all over her face. He took the cell phone out of Davis' hand to examine it more closely.

"Hmm?" Jun said peering over Tai's shoulder curiously. The girl's face blanched a sickly, ashen grey when she saw the picture. The color in her cheeks returned as swiftly as it had vanished: an embarrassed, angry red. "You little creep, I'm gonna_ murder_ you!" she screamed as she leaped forward to grasp her brother tightly by the throat and shake him roughly.

"See what you're really dating now? These are her true colors! She's a troll!" Davis managed to get out between his sister's vicious shakes. "A hideous, mean green troll! Run while you still can, sempai!"

Tai felt the edges of his mouth turn up in a soft smile as he stared at the picture. Jun lay sprawled across the couch wearing nothing but a baggy jersey t-shirt. One bare leg dangled over the edge of the cushion while her right arm clutched a half-eaten candy bar to her chest. Her mouth was gaping wide open caught in a mighty snore and traces of chocolate lingered around her lips. It was the most adorable thing he thought he had seen.

"DON'T LOOK AT IT!" Jun shrieked noticing him still gazing at the picture. She made a wild lunge at the cell phone in his hands, only for her injured ankle to cave in under her. Tai caught as she pitched forward and drew her close in his arms.

"I'm hideous," Jun moaned pathetically.

"What, this?" Tai said waving the cell phone a little. "That's nothing. You should see the picture Kari took of me when I was younger. Our family went on vacation and I fell asleep on the beach and she thought it would be really funny to put this volleyball net over me so when I woke up, I had sunburn in checkered-shaped patterns all over my body. I had to go to school like that for a whole week!"

Jun shoulders began shaking with muffled amusement before she lifted her head and burst out laughing full-force—a melodious, tinkling sound—and swifter than he could blink, tilted her head up and caught him full on the lips with a kiss.

It lasted quite longer than all their previous ones. For a few moments, Tai forgot they had an audience and lost himself in the sweet sensation of lips pressing against his own, of stealing into his mouth every soft noise Jun made, of allowing himself to be swept away in a molten river that left him dizzy and breathless when they finally pulled away from each other.

"Wow," Armadillomon's awed voice came from somewhere behind them. "What do you humans call _that?"_

"I don't know," Veemon replied. "But I think I want to try it with Gatomon—_ouch!"_ came his painful yelp as Gatomon swiped him with her claws.

In the meantime, it soon became apparent that while Davis may have given them his blessing despite his attempts to dissuade Tai's mind on the issue, that didn't necessarily mean he was okay with the sight of them kissing right in front of him. Davis' last reserve finally shattered.

"_Get away from Taichi-sempai!"_ he howled throwing himself at his sister and yanking on her arm harshly. "Get off! Get off! Get off!"

"Quit being a third wheel, twerp," Jun sniped, grabbing hold of the boy's goggles and pulling them back a ways before letting them go where they smacked soundly into her brother's head.

"GAH!" Davis shrieked clutching his skull as he glared at her. "DO ANYTHING ELSE, BUT DON'T DISS THE GOGGLES! THEY'RE OFF-LIMITS!"

"Goggle-head freak," Jun bit out with an annoyed glower.

"No, he's right," Tai spoke up in defense. "The goggles are sacred."

"Oh, no, not you too!" Jun sighed throwing her hands in the air exasperatedly. "Why is it always the hopeless ones I find myself drawn to?"

"See, Davis," Tai grinned. "Your sister does love you!"

"I don't want that kind of love!" Davis cried in protest.

"I never meant it that way, creep!" Jun exclaimed.

At which point when it looked as if the two Motomiya siblings were about to engage in an kindergarten-ish scuffle with each other, Tai flung both his arms around their shoulders and hugged them tightly, happy laughter tearing itself free from his chest.

A car horn sounded in the distance causing everyone to pause and look for the source. A news van appeared around the corner and rolled its way towards them carefully treading its course through the damaged streets.

"Oh, it better not be those spineless twits we passed camped outside the city earlier," Jun said savagely. "They think they deserve a story after bailing out then crawling back? I'll break their camera!"

"No, it's my dad," Matt said surprised, recognizing the van as it coasted to a stop in front of them. "What are you doing here?"

"I work at a news station, son," Mr. Ishida replied through the open window. "This is how I earn the rent for the apartment, although," he claimed sweeping his eyes about the ruined streets, desolate of any forms of life except the ones in front of him. "It looks like I missed all the action. Glad both my boys are alright," he said as T.K. rushed up to join them. "Would it have killed either of you to give your old man one phone call? Having to turn on the tv to see where the latest monster battle is taking place so I know where to locate my kids is not my idea of good parenting."

Two sets of sheepish smiles were the only apologizes he received as he shook his head in exasperation before turning his head to the vehicle's interior and ordering, "Alright, everybody, your ride ends here." The news van's doors slid opened and three Fuji TV Station crewmembers piled out with non-too pleased expressions.

"This is what you planned all along, didn't you, Hiroaki," the sole woman among them said irritably. "You knew there wouldn't be anything left to film by the time we got here."

"Well, actually, there's still some over there," one of the two men said issuing to the children's digimon and lifting his video camera to get a good shot.

"No filming," Mr. Ishida barked as he stepped out himsef, placing the lens cap over the camera's focus swiftly. "We didn't come into any contact with any monsters on this trip, right?"

"Right," the two news men echoed in a single, monotone voice.

The woman remained undeterred. "You just wanted an excuse to gain access to the van so you could drive here, didn't you?"

"I know how these so-called monsters' anatomies work," Mr. Ishida proclaimed gazing at the digimon. "They don't remain that size for very long. I couldn't leave any of these kids out in the cold all night either. Their parents would be worried and this place will be swarming with military soon."

"That's alright, Dad, our Digimon still have strength left. They can carry whoever is left back home, or at least as close to it as possible," Matt said.

The younger Digidestined's partners had digivolved back to Rookie as well as most of the older team's. Only MegaKabuteriemon and Garudamon remained in their higher level forms, it seemed for this very purpose.

"Some of us need to stay behind to close the gateway up on Mt. Fuji," Izzy spoke up, reminding everyone of priorities. "Ken, Yolei, can come with me. I'll need your D-3s. We'll search until we find it."

"The van seats eight not including you," the news woman continued to press Mr. Ishida relentlessly. "Even if some do get to _fly_ back, that still leaves seven kids plus us three to take into account."

"I can do the math, Mizuki," Mr. Ishida grinned at her. A truly, terrifying, wily grin.

oOo

In the end, it was Mr. Ishida's co-workers who had the unlucky lot of riding back to Tokyo with the sci-fi fanatics and not by their own choosing.

"I swear, Hiroaki," Mizuki hissed at her boss as she and her companions loaded their equipment into the white van now sitting upright on four tires courtesy of Garuddamon. "You're going to pay for this."

"These people were eyewitnesses to everything that happened here, Kishimoto," Mr. Ishida said clapping a friendly hand to her shoulder. "They even gave one of these 'digimon' a ride. I bet you three can uncover quite the story on a two-hour drive."

"Omigosh, are you like doing a news scoop on us?" one of the male sci-fi fanatics piped up enthusiastically. "Are we gonna be on tv? This is it gang!" he whooped to his friends, "A chance to share the truth of extraterrestrial life forms to the ignorant masses and calling out the fraudulent media on their poor attempt to cover it up! No offense," he added in an afterthought to Mizuki who looked like she wanted very badly to kick the man in his shins.

"Alright, the van seats eight, not counting me," Mr. Ishida said. "You kids decide on the seating arrangements."

"Looks like some of you already have," Gatomon spoke up, a gleeful purr lacing her words as she and Hawkmon peered into the interior of the van.

Curious, Kari wandered over. "What do you mea—oh," she squeaked, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Jun and Tai had already lay claim to the backseat and it seemed that the day's long adventure had at last taken its toll on them. The two of them sat side by side, their heads resting on the back of the seat's cushion and tilted towards each other, both their faces slack and relaxed as they slumbered peacefully. Tai's right hand was clasped limply in Jun's left, their wrists sporting the other's headband and charm bracelet were draped over Agumon who was stretched across both their laps with a contented smile on his lips.

"Give me your camera for a moment, Kari," Mimi whispered as she viewed the scene with a a kind of fiendish excitement.

Kari handed it to her wordlessly, her face still flushed in second-hand embarrassment.

A flash of light went off as Mimi took a picture, holding back what sounded like smothered giggles. "This is going straight into the Odaiba High School yearbook," she stated with relish.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Joe said.

_To Be Continued…_

**A/N:** Wow, I seriously didn't mean to take a five-month hiatus. I just really wanted to tie up the Fujiyoshida incident in one chapter. No more drawing it out. I'm sorry the battle scenes were lacking. I think I can write them sufficiently one-on-one but put several Digimon fighting an army? I shudder to describe that. Hopefully, the reunion and plot for future chapters made up for lack of action? And for the title, well, I couldn't think of anything else and I didn't want to waste more time racking my brain for one when I could be uploading this instead. So, because I basically listened to the Digimon movie OST on repeat while writing this, there you go!^^

Fun Facts: Not even gonna deny it. Three-fourths of the way done, and I realized I was channeling Thor for WarGreymon. Yeah… um, *scratches head* well, it just seems fitting. I think they're both similar. Strong, powerful, maybe not as sharply deep-thinking as their darker brothers (BlackWarGreymon), but certainly not dim-witted oafs either. They both know when to hold back their strength, and how to talk reason. And it's really my fault for trying to finish this chapter after reading an omnibus of Thor fics! XD

So, I have a tumblr now (same penname), so if you are wondering if I am dead when I am not updating or want to ask any questions about the fic, character or plot-wise, I'll be happy to answer. Also, I shouldn't ever slack off like this again because now I have a beta to kick my muse into high-gear when it's being lazy. Ohohohoho! Rejoice!^w^

I hope you have enjoyed reading this! Please review and share your thoughts. I love hearing what you liked best and it's the only reward a fanfic author gets. I like knowing what my readers think and feel. Thank you!^^


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